It's becoming a habit that we plan our visits to Umbria so they coincide with the first Sunday in the month because that's when the famous antiques market is held in Arezzo which is about an hours drive from our apartment in Citta. We've been several times now and on this trip we had double bubble - Easter weekend in our apartment combined with a trip to the antiques market on Easter Saturday.
Easter Saturday morning meant an early rising at 6am so we could set off and be at the market by 8.30am - not so much to Jon's liking, but he's learned to accept my philosophy that "the early bird gets the worm". We chuckled later on that morning when the telefonino beeped and we got a text from one of our friends out here saying "Are you boys heading out to the Arezzo fair today cos' I'd like to hook up with you if you are." By this time we'd done the fair, had coffee and croissants and were half way to Pienza for lunch, so I had to text back and tell her we'd been and gone. "But it doesn't start till 10am" she texted back and I had to text again to tell her that those in the know would realize that a lot of the buying and selling of the fresh stock had probably been done by the stall holders the night before!!
We drove to Arezzo up the A1 motorway a couple of junctions and duly paid our 3.70 euros toll before taking the main road in to town. There are prettier routes but they are much slower and when you are chasing the bargains they are not the best options. Approaching this city of 100,000 people from this direction, especially for the first time, is slightly off putting as there are miles of sprawl to be encountered with the usual shopping malls, industrial estates and car dealerships lining the
roadway and as I write this the thought that this is another form of "black pathway" enters my head (see previous posting). But don't be put off - if you make the journey what lies ahead is a jewel well worth waiting for.
Arezzo is a city and commune in the province of Tuscany 50 miles SE of Florence and it grew up on a steepish hillside site above the floodplain of the River Arno. It has a long history dating back to Etruscan times when it was an important urban centre and it was also significant to the Romans as a military station on the Via Cassia. Later it would become an episcopal seat and an independent city state between 1098 and 1384 when it was finally conquered by the Florentines who annexed it and make it part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. During later centuries, after the medieval period, it experienced a period of economic decline and this is one of the reasons why it has such a well preserved medieval old town, despite later additions. It's only in the 20th century that modern development has produced the urban sprawl already noted, but that's easily forgotten when the "centro historico" is reached.
If arriving by car its a good idea to follow the signs for the "petrie" car park which lies behind the cathedral and the old town. Here parking is easy and there's an interesting walkway which involves entering the town through the old medieval walls. Part of this experience involves taking a series of escalators which help with the steep climb and this is something I've come across in several Italian towns (Perugia being a good example) and when you are getting older you can't help being appreciative of the thoughtfulness of the commune authorities. I'm glad to say the environmental impact seems minimal. As you ascend some of the covered moving staircases the walls are decorated with well painted murals of ferocious looking armoured and helmeted knights on horseback and with vibrant sets of colours to their clothing. After our first visit I later discovered this was a reference to the famous "GLOSTRA DEI SARACINO" an annual event dating back to medieval times where knighted men wearing colours representing different fraternities relating in different parts of town, competitively charge at a target pinned to a carving of a Saracen king and accumulate points for their accuracy. It's all highly competitive and evidently the whole of the old town is full of folk in medieval dress for the event. https://youtu.be/EB1PEu30Qws
Through the gate is the tourist office on the left and then there's a passageway which brings you directly in to the piazza in front of the cathedral and also not far from here is the remains of the old Medici fortress constructed after Arezzo had become part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany; just a few minutes further down the hill is the Piazza Grande - one of the finest medieval squares anywhere in Italy.
The photograph shows just one side of the medieval square and on the left is the columned apse of the 13th century Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Pieve which also has a spectacular massive square bell tower.
There are many famous names associated with Arezzo including the renowned Piero della Francesca who painted in the 15th century the world famous fresco cycle - "the miracle of the true cross" in the church of San Francesco and Arezzo was also the birthplace of Giorgio Vasari, architect, painter, historian and writer, who famously produced one of Europe's first art history books "Artist's Lives" in 1550. The loggia on the north side of the Piazza Grande is by Vasari and here there is a commemorative plaque to Arezzo's most famous son.
The Piazza Grande and the narrow streets and squares surrounding it, including the cathedral Piazza, is every month home to Italy's most famous antiques market. Wander the streets and you will come across stalls belonging to up to 500 dealers selling everything from tatty old "shabby chic" furniture to jewellery, ceramics, glass, textiles, old tools, second hand books and prints and just about any other sort of old junk you can think of. The fair was started in 1968 by a local antique dealer and collector called Ivan Bruschi and it was the first of its kind in Italy. Since then its flourished in to probably the best known antiques market in Italy and upwards of 20,000 visitors come here every month to browse and buy and generally soak up the atmosphere of this lively and stimulating event. As well as the stalls there are approximately a further 100 permanent dealers with shops in the vicinity, again selling a variety of stock, many of them with specialist interests and a number focussing on interior design. Some of these are very up market! I like nothing better than to absorb myself in the stalls round the streets of the Piazza Grande and I've come to know one or two dealers whose stock I like to look over and purchase from when we go. There's one kindly lady near the cathedral who has a general stall where, on the wall opposite her pitch, she has boxes of old framed pictures done in a variety of media. Some of them are truly terrible, but sometimes there are a few that are not half bad and already the walls of our Citta apartment are adorned with "original" works of art from her stall including still lifes, landscapes and even a portrait or two. The costs are incredibly modest, 20 to 30 euros is the norm, and this wouldn't even be the price of getting a small picture framed these days. But, as with flea markets the world over, one has to be wary at events like these and its wise to remember the old adage "a fool and his money are easily parted".
Dealers these days, in London, Paris or here in Italy, find it harder and harder to get decent quality stock at good prices and fairs like the Arezzo one are not the treasure troves that perhaps they once were 20 years ago. Arezzo is as much a tourist event these days as it is a dealer's fair. There is an awful lot of reproduction material for sale here (just as there is now in the Portobello Road in London) much of it imported from the far east and a lot of it with a distressed look to appear old; the unwary can easily be deceived. The message is to be careful. Consider the prices being asked and if you know something is a good buy then go ahead. Similarly, if you are looking for decorative pieces, there are loads of bargains to be had in Arezzo which are often cheaper than the prices that you would pay in a shop. Talk and chat with the dealers and form your own opinion and haggle over the price. It's best to go home and be delighted with what you have purchased than to have to repent at leisure.
And I know what you are wanting to ask now. What did I purchase on this particular trip? Well - it was a modest spend this time round. I spent 20 euros on a large, rather dark, still life painting from my usual stall - I still haven't got round to cleaning it and putting it on the wall. I also bought a small ebony oval shaped ladies' nail buffer in a charming leatherette case with its original price written in ink on the bottom. It dates from the elegant belle epoque period of the early 20th century and its a charming little collectable. It cost 5 euros.That was it - 25 euros in total. Was I disappointed?- I would never say that and we have no regrets about spending our day there. If the fair was weekly and I lived here all the time I would be there every Saturday - (not sure about Jon though - I somehow doubt he would show the same enthusiqasm)!!
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Oh - I discovered later in the day that our friend Elin had turned up at the fair and bought a dated 1957 brass tuba which she haggled down from 120 euros to 80 to give to her fiance's son who is learning to play brass instruments back home in Canada. At dinner that evening she refused the invitation to appear here so this is me attempting to give it a blast!!!
KBO - IAN
WHEN IS THE FAIR?
The fair is held in the old town of Arezzo every first Sunday of the month and the Saturday before.
HOW TO GET THERE?
By train - most of the stopping trains between Florence and Rome and vice versa call at Arezzo. the old town is a 10 minute walk from the station.
By road - take the Arezzo junction from the A1 toll motorway between Florence and Rome and its a 15 minute drive to the car park identified in the text. Google maps will help you find the Pietri car park.
THE SARACEN JOUST
This takes place every year on the last Saturday in June in the evening and on the first Sunday in September in the afternoon. Tickets are necessary. You can see it "in action" on U tube! Check the web site.
Easter Saturday morning meant an early rising at 6am so we could set off and be at the market by 8.30am - not so much to Jon's liking, but he's learned to accept my philosophy that "the early bird gets the worm". We chuckled later on that morning when the telefonino beeped and we got a text from one of our friends out here saying "Are you boys heading out to the Arezzo fair today cos' I'd like to hook up with you if you are." By this time we'd done the fair, had coffee and croissants and were half way to Pienza for lunch, so I had to text back and tell her we'd been and gone. "But it doesn't start till 10am" she texted back and I had to text again to tell her that those in the know would realize that a lot of the buying and selling of the fresh stock had probably been done by the stall holders the night before!!
We drove to Arezzo up the A1 motorway a couple of junctions and duly paid our 3.70 euros toll before taking the main road in to town. There are prettier routes but they are much slower and when you are chasing the bargains they are not the best options. Approaching this city of 100,000 people from this direction, especially for the first time, is slightly off putting as there are miles of sprawl to be encountered with the usual shopping malls, industrial estates and car dealerships lining the
roadway and as I write this the thought that this is another form of "black pathway" enters my head (see previous posting). But don't be put off - if you make the journey what lies ahead is a jewel well worth waiting for.
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| Aerial View of Arezzo, Tuscany |
If arriving by car its a good idea to follow the signs for the "petrie" car park which lies behind the cathedral and the old town. Here parking is easy and there's an interesting walkway which involves entering the town through the old medieval walls. Part of this experience involves taking a series of escalators which help with the steep climb and this is something I've come across in several Italian towns (Perugia being a good example) and when you are getting older you can't help being appreciative of the thoughtfulness of the commune authorities. I'm glad to say the environmental impact seems minimal. As you ascend some of the covered moving staircases the walls are decorated with well painted murals of ferocious looking armoured and helmeted knights on horseback and with vibrant sets of colours to their clothing. After our first visit I later discovered this was a reference to the famous "GLOSTRA DEI SARACINO" an annual event dating back to medieval times where knighted men wearing colours representing different fraternities relating in different parts of town, competitively charge at a target pinned to a carving of a Saracen king and accumulate points for their accuracy. It's all highly competitive and evidently the whole of the old town is full of folk in medieval dress for the event. https://youtu.be/EB1PEu30Qws
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| A Knight spears the target at the annual Glostra dei Saracino in Arezzo |
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| Piazza Grande - Arezzo |
There are many famous names associated with Arezzo including the renowned Piero della Francesca who painted in the 15th century the world famous fresco cycle - "the miracle of the true cross" in the church of San Francesco and Arezzo was also the birthplace of Giorgio Vasari, architect, painter, historian and writer, who famously produced one of Europe's first art history books "Artist's Lives" in 1550. The loggia on the north side of the Piazza Grande is by Vasari and here there is a commemorative plaque to Arezzo's most famous son.
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| Monument to Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) in Piazza Grande |
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| Stalls in the square next to the Vasari Loggia - Piazza Grande |
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| Examining an object on a dealer's stall |
Oh - I discovered later in the day that our friend Elin had turned up at the fair and bought a dated 1957 brass tuba which she haggled down from 120 euros to 80 to give to her fiance's son who is learning to play brass instruments back home in Canada. At dinner that evening she refused the invitation to appear here so this is me attempting to give it a blast!!!
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| Me playing the tuba found at the Arezzo antiques market in April 2015 |
KBO - IAN
WHEN IS THE FAIR?
The fair is held in the old town of Arezzo every first Sunday of the month and the Saturday before.
HOW TO GET THERE?
By train - most of the stopping trains between Florence and Rome and vice versa call at Arezzo. the old town is a 10 minute walk from the station.
By road - take the Arezzo junction from the A1 toll motorway between Florence and Rome and its a 15 minute drive to the car park identified in the text. Google maps will help you find the Pietri car park.
THE SARACEN JOUST
This takes place every year on the last Saturday in June in the evening and on the first Sunday in September in the afternoon. Tickets are necessary. You can see it "in action" on U tube! Check the web site.
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