Arezzo is everything old
The largest antiques market in all of Tuscany is in the town of Arezzo. It’s always the first Sunday of the month and the Saturday before. Between the incredible antiques and the medieval architecture around every corner, you could spend the entire day just wandering around, lost in the wonder. A visit to Arezzo is one of those intensely real experiences—the stuff of memory-making.
Odds and ends
We used to go to the market EVERY month. We were looking for little odds and ends to create mood in our place. An old brass pot on the hearth says warmth. I wouldn’t cook in it, but it is a sweet little addition. We found a candle snuffer, a copper ladle and just the right lamp shade. Something always catches our eye. But once we’d “feathered our nest” we didn’t need anything else, so we went less often. Focused on other things, we knew that the market was still humming along as usual, but without us.
Relax amid relics
Typically, we’d check out the market in the morning, and then drop into one of our favorite restaurants for lunch. On an especially fun day we found a restaurant owned by a cute little dachshund. (Okay, her person technically owned the place, but don’t let the little dog know). We wove our way through the narrow streets and enjoyed many a lunch there until the doxie sold the restaurant and the place went to the dogs—not really, I just couldn’t resist saying that.
Park free!
Last week, we decided to go to the market, just like old times. When we arrived, we discovered a “new” place to park, just outside the wall—for free. Wow. That was different. As we approached the old Roman wall, we read signs for the scale mobile, moving stairs (escalators). What!!?? Sure enough, during our 5-year absence, Arezzo had installed a series of escalators to move visitors up the hill and into the ancient center. It was a bit odd to see something so new and glitzy. We were stunned. But only about half of the escalators actually worked that day, so we felt consoled that all the quirky ambiance wasn’t totally lost.
Whatever you want
Once inside the city walls we meandered through the streets. Merchants lined every available inch of space as always. Some we recognized from years before. There was enough furniture to fill every villa in Tuscany. There were brass pieces. Lamps. Fireplace tools and screens. There were books and bric-a-brac. Nothing had been missed. If it’s really, really old and transportable, it’s probably for sale at the Arezzo Market.
There's nothing quite like a buca
We browsed a while and inquired about an old fireplace back plate. Troppo caro per noi, too expensive for us. We wandered a while more until mid-day when our thoughts turned to food. The last time we’d come to Arezzo we found this sweet little restaurant in a so-called buco, hole. It was on a side street and down a stone stairway below ground level, hence the buco status. But inside, what fun! The place has arches and vaults, all hand painted and decorated. Hmmm. We just needed to recall where it was. Em asked if I remembered the name. I gave a very tentative response . . . something about San Francesco. That was enough info. He stepped into the next shop and asked. The woman had a puzzled look at first, then lit up as she said, “Oh, si! La Buca di San Francesco.” She gestured directions waving to go right and then indicating that we should turn left and then immediately left again. And there it was, right across the street from La Chiesa di San Francesco, the Church of Saint Frances—just as we remembered. It all came back to us.
Thank you Mario!
We had a tasty lunch with wonderful Tuscan hospitality. The star of the restaurant was Mario, a dapper older Italian gentleman who was no doubt the owner. He caught Em snapping my photo and told him to sit down and he’d take a picture of both of us. He then surprised us with a small bowl of Pappa al Pomodoro, a bread and tomato stew spiced with bits of pepperoncini. After lunch Mario insisted that we have some Vin Santo, wine of the saints along with his homemade biscotti. Only AFTER this little taste treat would he even begin to consider bringing us coffee.
After lunch, we retraced our steps and made our way to the car. We didn’t make a single purchase that afternoon. We just browsed. Strolled around. Meandered. What a wonderful way to spend a sunny autumn day.
Pop open a few memories
We love old things: an ancient city like Arezzo; an old friend in a shop we haven’t seen for a while; or musty relics and antiques waiting for a new owner to take them home and breathe new life into them. Mostly, we enjoy creating experiences that grow old in their own unique ways, maturing like an old wine kept in the cantina, cellar. Memories can be uncorked after years of mellowing—sometimes even fresher and tastier than the day they were made!
You may also enjoy visiting our other websites:
The Journey – The Ride of a Lifetime
Under the Tuscan Thumb Blog by C & E
Uncommon Promise Story, Music and Art
The UP Side Lowdown 