Flea Markets / Vintage Markets (Florence & Rome)

Florence- Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio at Piazza Ghiberti is a fruit, meat and vegetable market 7AM – 2 PM (Walk along the street (Via di San Guiseppe) on the left hand side of Santa Croce to Via de’ Macci and turn left. If you get to Via Petrtrapriana, you’ve gone too far. ½ mile walk.
Just around the corner, one block west of Sant’Ambrogio is Piazza di Ciompi Mercato delle Pulci-9 AM – 7:30 PM Daily - a flea market.

In Rome, every Sunday (9-1pm--I think) there is Mercato Portese, which is located at the Porta Portese.

In Florence, every Tuesday 7am-2pm, there is Mercato delle Cascine in the Parco delle Cascine (Cascine Park)in Florence.

Both of these are "flea markets." I've been to both and they are very interesting. You can get good prices on things that you would find in the shops. Good luck & Buon Viaggio!

Rome Markets....

Porta Portesa is the largest. Here's a link that has pic's and some more details: CLICK HERE

Other markets include these listed below:

Mondays

Campo de’fiori - food and flowers - Mornings

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and magazines - Mornings

Via Sannio - second hand clothes and accessories - Mornings from 07:00

Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings

Via Chiana, Trieste - food (covered) - Mornings

Piazza Alessandria, Trieste- food - Mornings

Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings

Via Magnagrecia - predominantly food - Mornings

Tuesday

Genzano di Roma: food

Campo de’fiori - food and flowers - Mornings

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and magazines - Mornings

Via Sannio - second hand clothes and accessories - Mornings from 07:00

Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings
Via Chiana, Trieste - food (covered) - Mornings

Piazza Alessandria, Trieste- food - Mornings

Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings

Via Magnagrecia - predominantly food - Mornings

Wednesday

Campo de’fiori - food and flowers - Mornings

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and
magazines - Mornings

Via Sannio - second hand clothes and accessories - Mornings from 07:00

Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings

Via Chiana, Trieste - food (covered) - Mornings

Piazza Alessandria, Trieste- food - Mornings

Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings

Via Magnagrecia - predominantly food - Mornings

CONTINUED......

CONTINUED.....

Thursday

Via Trionfale- flowers - All day from 10:30

Campo de’fiori - food and flowers - Mornings

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and magazines - Mornings

Via Sannio - second hand clothes and accessories - Mornings from 07:00

Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings

Via Chiana, Trieste - food (covered) - Mornings

Piazza Alessandria, Trieste- food - Mornings

Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings

Via Magnagrecia - predominantly food - Mornings

Friday

Villaggio Olimpico, Flaminio - clothes, jewellery and food - Mornings

Campo de’fiori - food and flowers - Mornings

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and magazines - Mornings

Via Sannio - second hand clothes and accessories - Mornings from 07:00

Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings

Via Chiana, Trieste - food (covered) - Mornings

Piazza Alessandria, Trieste- food - Mornings

Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings

Via Magnagrecia - predominantly food - Mornings

Saturday

Via Tirso and Via Metauro - antiques and jewellery - Mornings from 10:00

Lungotevere Capoprati - antique flea market - Afternoons from 15:00

Campo de’fiori - food and flowers - Mornings

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and magazines - Mornings

Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings

Via Chiana, Trieste - food (covered) - Mornings

Piazza Alessandria, Trieste- food - Mornings

Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings

Via Magnagrecia - predominantly food - Mornings

CONTINUED....

CONTINUED....

Sunday

Centro Sportivo, Via Angelo Battelli - books, collectors’ items - All day

Via Tirso and Via Metauro - antiques and jewellery - All day from 10:00

Via Francesco Crispi - antiques and collectors’ items. (Closed during Summer) - All day from 10:30

Piazza della Marina, Flaminio - Bric-a-brac, antiques and vintage clothing - All day from 10:00

Porta Portese, Trastevere - well known flea market, clothing and antiques - Mornings from dawn

Special

Hotel Palatino, Via Cavour - comic books - All day (third Saturday of the month and the fourth Saturday in May).

Lungotevere Capoprati (the first Sunday of the month) - antique flea market - All afternoon from 15:00

Via Valnerina (second Sunday of each month) - antique books and magazines -

anyone knows where/what shops to go in Florence and Rome for quality leather goods at a bargain price? (handbags, wallets...etcs) Thanks!

Pokey from MA gives great tips for stores in her trip report over at Slow Travel.

http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1661

Interesting story about Americans and their tendencies toward materialism, and Flea markets....which I love !!! Hmmmmmmmmmmmm !!!
Yet, when I was driving around Europe, in 1967, a handsome young Italian guy came up to the side of my VW in Genoa, at the Italian border....... He offered watches to my rider and me...... She was razzle-dazzled, and considered buying a watch. I discouraged her from buying one, thinking they might be stolen? She ignored me, for she was in the last week of her several weeks in Europe... and wanted "souveniers"?
We drove south to Pisa, to the leaning Tower... Someone told me that they had been up in the leaning tower, and looked down to see their car, with all their belongings in it, being loaded into a truck and taken a way !!! They could not get down in time.... and the police would not believe them... No papers on them...... So much for Italian thieves........ Where did "all their things go"?
Next, we went to Florence, which was beautiful and uneventful... heading on to Rome, by sunset..... In Rome, we sought a pension, from our Europe on $5 a Day book, for that year.... Since, it was my rider's turn to stay in the car, at this stop, I went in to secure a room. But, she did not, stay in the car !!! When we got back down to the car, being detained in the elevator by the "porters," for a suspicious amount of time... we found our car had been robbed of all luggage.......... So much for her souveniers....couldn't help, but did remember her "possibly stolen" watch.. was gone too !!!
Learned from the Roma police we reported the theft to, that there is a part of Rome called the Porta Portese.... Went there to city streets full of tables of American "stuff": mostly clothes, suitcases...... whatever.... We were told that "all the stuff" was clothes sent from America ... by ...... the Catholic Church... for the poor people of Rome........ I wondered ....??? Really a "Thieves Market" as the Roma Police suggested?

I loved Pitti Vintage, a vintage clothing shop very close to Pitti Palace. I don't have my map handy, but it's on the street that runs almost directly perpendicular to the Palace entrance on the way to Santo Spirito. Got a fabulous 60s era dress there, but reluctantly left behind the 5" Gucci horsehair heels :-)

Epoca is a quality vintage shop in Florence. The Piazza Ciompi flea market as mentioned is probably the biggest/best in town but it really isn't much except on the one day a month when all the vendors come.