• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Italian Food Made Simple

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Resources
    • Conversion Charts
    • Glossary
  • Travel Italia
  • Contact
  • Did You Know

Don’t Miss The Monthly Arezzo Antique/Flea Market

May 10, 2015 by Barbara Leave a Comment

 

Tatiana's jewelry table at the Arezzo Antique/Flea Market.

Meet Tatiana, one of the more than 500 vendors who travel from all over Italy to sell their wares at the Arezzo Antique/Flea Market.  The market is held in the vast Piazza Grande and countless side streets the first Sunday of every month and the Saturday before.  Except for September, when Arezzo hosts the yearly jousting match.  If you don’t know Arezzo here’s the lowdown: it’s about 50 miles southeast of Florence, the seat of its own Tuscan province.  There’s much medieval art to see in Arezzo, including Piero Della Francesco’s frescoes.  The town is beautiful.  It was the location for the Academy-award winning movie, “Life is Beautiful”.

On a future trip to Italy, try just once to visit the Arezzo Antique/Flea Market.  It makes many of those lists of the best flea markets in Europe.  There’s something for everyone here: artwork, furniture, pots, dishes, jewelry, bric-a-brac of all sorts, antique-whatevers, cloth, dolls, engravings, postcards.  All of it fascinating–and fun.

 You know what they say: there’s a lid for every pot.

Here's some pottery that certainly someone will love from the Arezzo Antique/Flea Market.

Above, we have various pieces of pottery.  Below a jumble of wine bottle openers. I should have bought one.  Next time.

There are at a few Italian phrases you should learn before you go, besides the usual polite greetings of buon giorno for the morning greeting or buona sera for the greeting used after about noon:

1. Quanto costa questo?  How much does this cost?

2. Mi fa un più bel prezzo? Can you make me a better (prettier) price?  Or: Mi fa un sconto? Can you offer me a reduced price?

Be prepared to bargain.  They expect it.  I made an uncharacteristic mistake last summer when I took friends to the market.  I speak Italian so I was doing a lot of the bargaining. My friend really wanted a Murano glass vase for sale for 60 Euro.  I asked the vendor if she’d take 50 Euro for it.  When she immediately said yes, I knew I probably could have gotten it for about 40 Euro if I had done the ritual “dance” around the price.

I love this collection of wine openers at the Arezzo Antique/Flea Market.

Several vendors haul in various architectural pieces like the one you see below, with a couple of fanciful teapots sitting on it to keep it company.

Furniture also for sale. Some of it quite large. Good Lord, look at those teapots!

Silverware, belt buckles.  One gentleman comes in from London and sells, for fabulous prices, complete sets of antique British silverware.  Fish forks anyone?  I spent a while looking at one set as a woman hovered nearby just barely in my field of view.  I debated and debated and decided to think about it.  I walked away and she stepped in and bought the set in a second.  You snooze, you lose.

Here's a silver knife with a bone handle as part of an large set.

Old wooden washboards, in abundance.  Wood tables, guitars.

Old washboards, old tables and a lonely guitar.

These candelabra look like they came off the sunken Titanic.  I’m almost positive someone bought them.  Anyhow, get to the Arezzo Antique/Flea Market.  Even if you don’t buy anything, enjoy the town, the vendors, the food and that great Tuscan sun!

These candelabra look like they were recently raised up from the Titanic. The Arrezzo Antique Fair has something for everyone.

Filed Under: Travel Italia Tagged With: Antique fair, Antiques, arezzo, Flea market

Previous Post: « Endive Gorgonzola Appetizer
Next Post: Italian-Style Chocolate Mousse /Spuma di Cioccolata »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar


Hi. I'm Barbara Francis and I hope you like authentic Italian food as much as I do. It's simple, fresh, seasonal. What's not to like? And it's part of my heritage. So join me in the kitchen of Italian Food Made Simple. Just step right over the dog, she won't move even if you ask her.

more about me ยป

Stay Connected

RSS Twitter Facebook

Search

Archives

  • June 2018
  • February 2018
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014

Copyright © 2023 Italian Food Made Simple on the Foodie Pro Theme