If there's any flash and glitter in Liechtenstein at all, it appears only in very subdued form. You may notice this during your shopping excursions, which are best limited to central Vaduz, a neighborhood that can never really escape the sense of being a somewhat overgrown village. An outlet that sells gift items from Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland is L'Atelier, Städtle 36 (tel. 00423/232-46-88). Its merchandise, as selected by the outfit's longtime owner, Hélène de Marchi, includes lamps, dolls, hand-painted silks, stoneware, pewter, and other handmade objects.
Liechtenstein has been famous since the turn of the 20th century for its rustic and durable pottery, produced in natural-looking colors such as blue, beige, and yellow, in factories that lie within a 10-minute drive of Vaduz. The larger of the principality's two factories for stoneware is Schaedler Keramik A.G., which straddles Churer Strasse (tel. 00423/373-14-14), the main street of the hamlet of Nendeln, 8km (5 miles) north of Vaduz.
The principality's premier outlet for wines produced by vineyards belonging to the prince is the Hofkellerei des Fürsten Liechtenstein, Feldstrasse, Vaduz (tel. 00423/232-10-18). Set in a solid, not particularly imaginative-looking building that's owned by the prince, it stockpiles the fruits of his family's vineyards, most of which are either in the principality or in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) just across the border. Look for both whites and reds -- and a somewhat heavy-handed emphasis on the organization's royal connections.
When shopping, don't overlook the Liechtenstinian postal service, which produces more stamps than are ever used to actually mail letters. One of the busiest emporiums in the principality is the bureaucratic-looking kiosk in the main post office, Postwert Zeichenstelle der Regierung, Städtle, FL-9490 Vaduz (tel. 00423/236-64-44). Here stamps that commemorate Liechtenstein's history, botany, zoology, and achievements are sold to avid collectors, and even to folk who never thought they were collectors.
