Italian Adventures – We Bought a House in Italy!

April 18, 2022

One of my favorite days in Italy is the Monday after Easter, known as Pasquetta (Little Easter). It’s a holiday and also the annual grand antique market in Greve in Chianti. I learned of this huge market from my new friends and antique dealers, Emma & Valerio. It didn’t happen during Covid, of course, so this is the first year where it is back on. Vendors come from all over, and I truly mean ALL OVER Italy.

It’s about an hour and a half from Casale Giulietta and since it’s my first time, I want to get there early, which means I got up and hit the road early. Too early it turns out. I didn’t realize that the vendors would still be setting up at 9am. However, being early I snagged an AMAZING parking spot! Note: I parked in the main lot in the center of town and when I got out, there was this…What the heck?!

I set out on my way, grabbed a cappucino and a bottle of water and started to explore the market. My initial impression was how cute the town was with unique aspects.

Not knowing what I would find, I packed my collapsable wagon in my little Twingo so I could haul my ‘haul’ from the market back to my car.

All I saw at first were vendors in the upper parking lot across from the church and the bar where I grabbed my cappucino, which surprised me that it was SO small given how Emma had described it. But the town seems cute so I will explore.

Oh Dexter, you are SO wrong. I walked down towards the main street and could see there was some activity happening in the main Piazza. BINGO! The market was Huge. I had to map out a plan, as the vendors wrap throughout the entire square and beyond, and get a bit intertwined in the center. There was so much to see that it was almost overwhelming, particularly given that we just made it out of Covid. Masks were hit or miss but since we were outside, I opted for without initially.

I eventually spotted Emma and then she found V. We chatted for a bit and then split back up to explore for treasures. Emma was on the hunt for some specific items from another client, Jane. She is so great about listening to what her clients are looking for and trying her best to find the right item.

Here are some pics to give you a flavor of the market. the first pics are the upper parking lot and then you will see once I find the main square.

LUNCH!

My finds. The funky 3D vase comes with a story. It was one of the first vendors I stopped at in the upper parking lot and everything was super cheap. There were a bunch of people gathering around and there seemed to be a buzz about these 7 weird vases that were being sold for 1 euro each. I quickly grabbed one, not knowing what the big deal was but also not wanting to miss out. People were eyeing me constantly to see if I was going to keep it or put it back down. Determined, I bought it and it’s now a focal point on a shelf in my living room. A vase with a story!11. The Yellowish-green jar caught my attention becuase normally you see a number of demijons for sale but these were different. They had a beautiful red one but the yellow one just captured my heart.

This trunk was my last purchase. I loved it’s small size and the fact that they lined the inside with music notes sang to me, as Jessica has always loved music, writing and singing throughout her young life.

I loved the umbrella stand and snagged it for 50 euro! The decorative plate was displayed on the ground and was 40 euro but they accepted my offer of 35!

What an amazing experience!