On the first Sunday and the preceding Saturday of each month the Piazza Grande in Arezzo fills with collections of old furniture, household items, pots, linen, art…all kinds of treasures. The antique market began in 1968 and now attracts exhibitors from all over Italy, up to 500 in good weather.
Arezzo is a fabulous city, so I didn’t need much of an excuse to revisit. I am on the hunt for special items for the garden at Casa Debbio. It is still too early to begin planting, but not too early to find some old terracotta pots, or a sculpture or two.
The main part of the market is in Piazza Grande, but it spreads all through the town as well. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and the weather was awful, windy and raining. Most of the stalls had closed for the day. Lucky for us the sun came out on Sunday morning and we set out early…come for a wander through the market stalls in Arezzo.
As we were admiring the market delights we heard drumming and soon after a procession headed towards us. I have no idea what it was all about, but I love these moments in Italy.
There was a barber putting on a fine performance in the Piazza Grande.
Some birds were enjoying the blue sky…perhaps they were looking for bargains from above.
We stayed again at La Corte del Re, a great little hotel right on the corner of Piazza Grande. Here is the early morning view from the window.
I’m sure you will ask if I bought anything. The answer is yes and no. I didn’t buy anything at the market, but I returned to a shop we visited last year where we had fallen in love with a terra cotta table and bench seat. They were very expensive and we left them behind. The shop no longer wants to sell large items and these two pieces were going for a song…this time I couldn’t resist them. I will show you how gorgeous they are when they are installed at Casa Debbio.
Look for the shop if you are in Arezzo. It is called Arete and it is in Piazza Grande.
The antique market in Arezzo is well worth a visit. It is a fun spectacle as much as anything. Stay the weekend and really take the time to enjoy the town as well.