Street Shopping:

Outdoor Markets in Latium

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Apart from being the most unique source of souvenirs and consolation gifts for the friends you left behind, outdoor markets are some of the most interesting places in Italy. Almost all of them offer a collection of items that ranges from near-worthless knickknacks to priceless works of art, from the ancient to the post-post modern. Some markets are specialized but all welcome visitors, who are encouraged to have fun bargaining in English, Italian, sign language or any combination of the above. A word to the wise: keep your money and valuables stashed under at least one layer of clothes. Who wants to spend the whole time worrying why all those people are jostling you?

Here is a partial calendar of outdoor markets held in Latium. Keep in mind that special outdoor markets are almost always held on the occasion of town fairs and festivals.

Rome
(Porta Portese, every Sunday of the month): This is one of Europe's famous flea markets. Basically, there's nothing you can't find here, from used Russian phonograph records to priceles kilim rugs (sold out of the trunk of the car that travels to Turkey every other month to buy them). But get there early and be prepared to walk for miles. A great place to have lunch afterward, especially in summer when you can relax under the grape arbor, is Da Albino il Sardo all'Angoletto, on Via della Luce, just off Viale Trastevere. This Sardinian restaurant's antipasti are fabulous but pricey; we suggest the delicious mallureddu or any other pasta dish. Moderate.
Rome
(Via Sannio, week days): A much more prosaic type of flea market specializing in clothes and personal accessories. Great bargains, and even if you find nothing, you can wander next door to San Giovanni in Laterano, the Pope's personal church.
Campagnano
(historical center, last Sunday of the month): A great opportunity to see an unspoiled medieval town just a few miles from Rome. Browse through the hundred or so stands of ceramics, antique furniture, silver, and trinkets, then have lunch at Da Righetto (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 70), an unpretentious local trattoria which serves great abbacchio, the exquisite Roman lamb. Inexpensive to moderate.
Bracciano
(historical center, second Sunday of the month): If you recently saw Othello, the film with Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Fishburne, you'll recognize the picturesque Odescalchi Castle which served as the Moor's Cyprus headquarters. This very busy market is laid out nearby, and after you've seen enough you can wander down to the water's edge and have lake fish (usually persico) with all the Roman Sunday drivers. It's a great day trip for a sunny day.

Food Markets

Calcata
Mondays
Pontecorvo, Civita quarter
Grottaferrata
Bagnoregio, via Garibaldi
Tuesdays
Isola del Liri, piazza De Boncompagni
Sabaudia
Stimigliano
Collalto Sabino, via IV November
Genzano di Roma
Bolsena, piazza Matteotti
Calcata
Wednesdays
Anagni, via Vittorio Emanuele
Gajeta, corso Italia
Rieti
Anticoli Corrado
Civitavecchia
Capranica
Thursdays
Fiuggi, piazza Trento e Trieste
Terracina, via Posterula
Rocca Priora
Cerveteri
Nemi
Tolfa, piazza Sant'Antonio
Farnese, piazza Del Comune and piazza Regina Margherita
Fridays
Patrica
Sermoneta, piazza del Popolo
Amatrice, piazza Cavaliere di Vittorio Veneto
Tuscania
Saturdays
Ferentino
Sperlonga
Magliano Sabina
Viterbo
Sundays
Sgurgola, via Matteotti
Torri di Sabina, corso Foronono
Campagnano di Roma
Morlupo, piazza Diaz

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