For most people, Venetian festival masks are reminders of one of the world's most romantic cities, a place where couples go to enjoy memorable holidays.
To Lebanese stallkeeper Ayman Hassan, based in the Italian pavilion at Global Village, these delicate creations represent more than this.
The masks offer him a living, but more importantly, they give him a chance to celebrate a link to a country he loves as much as his own.
Ayman has an Italian father, and it is his inspiration that led the 24-year-old into selling the legendary face masks.
Although born and brought up in Lebanon, Ayman feels a strong bond with Italy. It is one he would hate to see weaken as he gets older.
He travels to Italy every nine months to collect more of the hand-made porcelain masks, some of them covering the entire face, others enigmatically hiding just the eyes.
"People get very excited when they see the masks," he says. "Some of them like the masks so much they buy three masks at a time," he said.
"They are part of our Italian heritage and yet I sell many of them to local people here in Dubai. They are beautiful things to have, if you are planning a celebration."
Unsurprisingly for a nation so famous for its love of clothes and tailoring, most of the stalls in the Italian pavilion display the latest fashions.
Dominique and Michel Delaval have struck out on a different path, however, and are hoping their plaster air fresheners will turn Dubai Shopping Festival 2005 into a success for them.
Unlike many in the pavilion, the Delavals come from Italy and they flew all the way from Europe for the month-long festival.
With their home country now caught in the chill of winter, festivals are thin on the ground. Striking out for the Middle East in January is a good way to ensure their pay packets do not dwindle.
"It's an Italian pavilion, but there are only a few people from Italy, so we're glad to be here," says Michel.
They admit making a decent profit can be tough partly because many customers try to bargain them down in price.
"When you add up the costs of travelling here, the only solution is to have many, many customers," Michel says.
The air fresheners come in all colours green, purple, orange, yellow and blue and scents, including raspberry, lemon, rose and lily. In shape they are equally diverse, ranging from terrapins to starfish, from dolphins to flowers.
"We believe in Dubai because there are so many people here, and Arab and Indian people in particular seem to like the products. We are hoping for a busy festival," Michel says.
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