70s dresses, glasses with huge lenses, old radios and vinyls. We are certainly talking about "vintage," which more than a fashion is almost a philosophy of life!
In Tuscany there are plenty of events dedicated to lovers of antique items and everything that can be recovered in an old-fashioned version: from antique furniture to designer furs, from typewriters to stamps from the 1930s, from tableware to jewelry. Often housed in the historic centers of the region's most beautiful cities, each of these markets is a fascinating leap back in time.
We begin in Arezzo, a city that is synonymous with antique handicrafts thanks above all to its famous Antiques Fair, the oldest in Italy, established in 1968. The Fair is held on every first Sunday of the month and preceding Saturday, with over 500 exhibitors housed in the extraordinary setting of Piazza San Francesco, Piazza Grande and the Vasari Loggias.
Staying on the subject of historical initiatives, Cortonantiquaria, the longest-running Italian event dedicated to the world of antiques, is organized in Cortona between the end of August and the beginning of September.
The second oldest antiques fair in Italy is in Lucca, where about 220 exhibitors gather on the third Sunday of the month and the preceding Saturday for the antiques market. The event is popular with collectors and those who are curious, who move between Piazza Antelminelli, Piazza San Giusto, Piazza San Giovanni, Piazza Bernardini, Piazza San Martino and Via del Battistero in search of antique furniture, prints, textiles and objects.
In Pistoia, about 50 antique dealers have gathered in the historic center along Via Cavour, Via Cino and Via Bozzi every second Sunday of the month between April and October since 1980. In winter the Antiques Market moves to "La Cattedrale" exhibition space at Via Sandro Pertini.
Montepulciano also has its Antiques and Crafts Fair, every second Sunday of the month and the preceding Saturday. The fair takes place in Piazza Grande, in the heart of the historic center, selling antique iems, second-hand clothes, antiques, handicrafts, and prints.
Finally Florence, where from Monday to Sunday there is a permanent Flea Market in Piazza Annigoni, with stands selling used books, records, jewelry and other antique and modern items and crafts.
Monthly events include the Mercato Arti e Mestieri dell'Oltrarno, a busy market held every second Sunday of the month in the lively Piazza Santo Spirito, and Indipendenza Antiquaria, which brings together exhibitors from all over Italy in Piazza Indipendenza every third Sunday of the month and the Saturday before (excluding July and August).
The highlight for lovers of vintage and quality fashion and design is Vintage Selection, an annual international event organized by Pitti Immagine.
