Arezzo as a city is as charming as they come, but one of the things that sets us aside from any other Tuscan town is our monthly Antique fair…

For over half a century, the Arezzo Antique Fair has turned the city’s ancient streets into an open-air museum, where history isn’t just preserved–it’s sold, bargained for, and carried home. Established in 1968 by antique dealer Ivan Bruschi, the fair quickly became a cornerstone of Italy’s rich antiquarian tradition, drawing collectors and curiosity seekers from around the world. 

Fiera Antiquaria Arezzo is Italy’s oldest and largest of its kind, spilling through the medieval squares and winding alleys, where over 500 vendors lay out everything from handcrafted furniture to vintage jewelry, vinyl records, vintage books, and relics of Italy’s artistic and aristocratic past waiting for new owners to write their next chapter. Each item is unique with a story waiting to be uncovered. 

Before settling down and having kids, we lived on a very narrow side street that led up to Piazza Grande. It felt like living in the heart of the historical center, where all the action was bustling. Slowly the excitement started to wear off and I began to dread the first weekend of every month. The streets often got so jam-packed it was impossible to do daily chores. As soon as we would open our front door we would be walking into the vendor stalls, making it difficult to walk our dog, take out trash, and bring home groceries. The fair attracts many tourists each month and they walk at a zombie-dragging pace because they want to marvel at every single artifact. 

We currently live above Piazza Grande away from the crowds which is a plus, but of course, there are still downsides. One of the downsides is parking your car, it’s a complete nightmare. When the Thursday before the weekend rolls around and you have not secured a good parking spot it will start your weekend off on the wrong foot. But let’s just say you do get lucky and get a good spot, you have to leave your car there until Sunday evening because if you move it you lose it. Sam and I have jobs that require us to be ‘on call’ in an almost meditative mantra I pray to Divine Source to please let this not be the weekend we have to move the car. 

And you can forget about any other kind of deliveries to your house during first weekend, it’s just not going to happen. If you have friends or family planning a trip you need to also secure a place to stay because normally Arezzo gets booked up to full capacity. You can also forget about going out to ‘grab a bite’, it’s assuredly packed and most local workers are grumpy. 

Arezzo also has this obscure phenomenon and it happens 9 times out of 10, it will rain every single first weekend of the month. I have my own theory and it is that perhaps all of the items being set up carry some serious melancholy energy and collectively they summons the grey clouds and the rain. I believe the rainfall serves to purify and cleanse a layer of sadness away. But even the locals know about this incoming rain and they wholeheartedly expect it. 

I will slowly come around to loving the Antique Fair once again, I am at a stage in my life where I can NOT bring out two small children because I spend 100% of the time in a stern voice repeating ‘DO NOT TOUCH THAT’ over and over again until I begin to question my life choices. Oh and also the items my children want to climb on or touch cost a fortune! If they were to break anything I think I would have a stroke on the spot! 

If you find yourself in Tuscany and you have the opportunity to see the fair I recommend it, just pack some rain boots and a poncho. The photos do not do it justice and it seems like a labyrinth that goes on forever. I have walked around and ‘pretended shop’ with my husband, we pick out items and tell each other where we would put them in our imaginary villa, a bonus about ‘pretend shopping’ is that we have an unlimited budget!!!! Come get lost at the Arezzo Antique Fair and take home a little piece of history.

Quick shots of people dragging home their treasures!