There is something wonderfully unhurried about antiquing here.
A market morning might begin with a ceramic bowl or a box of old postcards and end three hours later with a brass candlestick, a linen tablecloth and absolutely no idea how you are fitting any of it into your suitcase.
Around Villa Gioiella, antique markets range from serious collectors’ fairs to smaller lakeside markets where vintage pieces sit happily beside handmade jewellery, prints, old kitchenware and local curiosities. Some are monthly institutions; others are seasonal or annual events worth planning a day around.
If you enjoy rummaging, collecting or simply wondering who on earth once owned the thing in your hand, these are the markets I’d put on the calendar.
AREZZO: THE BIG ONE
When: First Sunday of every month and the Saturday before
Where: Piazza Grande and streets throughout the historic centre
Times: April–October: Saturday 09:00–20:00, Sunday 09:00–19:00. November–March: Saturday 09:00–19:00, Sunday 09:00–18:00.
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 50 minutes by car
If you are going to make a special trip for one antique market, make it Arezzo.
The Fiera Antiquaria di Arezzo has been running since 1968 and describes itself as Italy’s oldest and largest antiques fair. Around 400 exhibitors spread through Piazza Grande, the Logge Vasari and the surrounding streets with antiques, modernariato, vintage pieces, furniture, jewellery, books, prints, textiles and objects that defy easy classification.
This is proper treasure-hunting territory. You can spend hours here without remotely covering everything.
Old religious pieces, paintings and prints, vintage jewellery, furniture, ceramics, clocks, books and wonderfully peculiar objects whose original purpose may remain a mystery.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Don’t rush home after the market. Arezzo deserves the rest of the day. Wander Piazza Grande, visit the Basilica di San Francesco, have lunch somewhere tucked into the old centre and keep an eye on the shop windows. The antiques don’t entirely stop when the stalls do.
TIP: Go early if you’re genuinely buying. Go later if you mostly want atmosphere and a leisurely rummage.
MONTEPULCIANO: ANTIQUES WITH A SIDE OF VINO NOBILE
When: Second Sunday of every month and the Saturday before
Where: Piazza Grande
Saturday: Afternoon
Sunday: All day
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 30 minutes by car
Montepulciano’s monthly Fiera delle Arti e Antiquariato is considerably smaller than Arezzo, but its setting does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Stalls gather around Piazza Grande with antiques, old and used objects, prints, collectibles, furniture, musical instruments, handicrafts and general rigatteria.
It is exactly the sort of market where you arrive intending to browse for twenty minutes and emerge clutching something deeply impractical.
And of course, once the stalls have been explored, you are already in Montepulciano.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Head into one of the historic wine cellars, wander down Via di Gracciano nel Corso, climb the Palazzo Comunale tower for the views, or settle in for lunch and a glass of Vino Nobile.
ORDER THIS…
Anything involving pecorino, salumi and Vino Nobile is unlikely to ruin the day.
ORVIETO: ANTIQUES
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 50–60 minutes by car
Orvieto has recurring antiques, vintage, and modernariato markets throughout the year, including antiques in Piazza della Repubblica and vintage/modernariato along Corso Cavour.
That means this is one I would check before setting off, rather than printing a rigid second-weekend rule that may become wrong next year.
Orvieto is worth the trip regardless, which makes the market more of a bonus than a gamble.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
See the Duomo, descend into Orvieto Underground, wander the medieval lanes and stay for lunch. If your antique haul consists of precisely nothing, you still haven’t wasted the day.
DON’T MISS…
The Duomo façade in late-afternoon light. It is difficult to walk past it without stopping.
PERUGIA: ANTICAMENTE
When: Usually the last weekend of the month, Saturday and Sunday
Where: Piazza Italia and Giardini Carducci, historic centre
Time: 8:00 AM–8:00 PM on the published 2026 dates
What: Antiques, collectibles, art
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 50 minutes by car.
Perugia’s Anticamente market gathers in Piazza Italia and the Giardini Carducci, right at the top of the historic centre. Expect a mix of antiques, collectibles, old books, art, coins, stamps and assorted objects with enough history to make you wonder where they’ve been before you found them.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Stay in the centre afterwards. Walk Corso Vannucci, dip into the Rocca Paolina, visit the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, then stop for lunch or coffee somewhere overlooking the valley.
PAUSE FOR…
The view from Giardini Carducci. Even if you buy absolutely nothing, Perugia has still provided the scenery.
PASSIGNANO SUL TRASIMENO: A LAKESIDE RUMMAGE
When: Third Sunday of every month
Where: Historic centre, Giardini Baldoni
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 35 minutes by car
Passignano’s Mercatino del Pidocchietto is not a grand antiques fair in the Arezzo sense. It is smaller and more eclectic, bringing together hobby sellers, art, and handmade creative work.
That is part of its charm.
Come for a gentle rummage rather than museum-grade furniture, then walk along the lake afterwards.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Climb into the historic centre, visit the Rocca for the view across Lake Trasimeno and stop for an aperitivo by the water.
STAY UNTIL…
The lake starts catching the late-afternoon light.
CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO: VINTAGE BY THE WATER
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 15 minutes by car
Castiglione del Lago hosts Mercatino al Lago on selected dates rather than on one fixed monthly schedule with stalls covering crafts, vintage, antiques, collectibles and local products along the lakeside.
Because the dates are seasonal, this is another market to check before planning your day around it.
It is particularly nice when the market coincides with good weather because the lake becomes part of the outing.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Walk through the old town, visit the Rocca del Leone and Palazzo della Corgna, then head back towards the lake for lunch or an aperitivo.
CORTONA: ONE FOR THE DIARY
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 20–25 minutes by car
Cortona’s important antiques event is not a simple monthly flea market.
Cortonantiquaria is an annual national antiques exhibition and market, and in 2026 it runs from 29 August to 13 September at the Centro Convegni Sant’Agostino. Weekdays are 15:00–20:00 and weekends 10:00–20:00.
It is now in its 64th edition and is devoted to antiques, art and collecting rather than casual second-hand browsing.
If you are staying at Villa Gioiella in late summer and genuinely love antiques, this is one to put in the diary.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Cortona needs little introduction. Wander Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Signorelli, visit the MAEC or simply follow whichever steep lane looks most promising.
CITTÀ DI CASTELLO: WORTH THE DRIVE
When: Third Sunday of every month
Where: Historic centre, including Piazza Matteotti, Largo Gildoni, Piazza Fanti, Corso Cavour and Piazza Gabriotti
📍 From Villa Gioiella: approx. 1 hr 10–20 mins by car
Città di Castello’s Retrò market is one for the serious rummagers.
It is larger and more varied than many of the smaller local markets, with antiques, vintage pieces, furniture, collectables, old books, prints, coins, stamps and the kind of curious objects that can keep you circling the same stall twice. The Comune has reported around 90 exhibitors for recent editions, so this is very much a proper market rather than a handful of tables in a piazza.
Because it is farther from Villa Gioiella than the other markets in this guide, I’d think of it as a destination market rather than a quick morning outing. If antiquing is one of the reasons you came to this part of Italy, though, it is absolutely worth considering.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Stay for the day. Città di Castello has a handsome historic centre, good cafés and museums, and the market spreads naturally through the streets rather than feeling confined to one square.
LOOK OUT FOR…
Books, prints, furniture, decorative pieces, vintage objects and collectables.
WORTH KNOWING
The town also has a strong connection with antique books and prints, including a dedicated annual fair, so it has a particularly nice pedigree for anyone who loves paper, illustration and old ephemera.
Check before you go → Comune di Città di Castello events listings.
A FEW ANTIQUING TIPS
Go early for the serious buying.
The best pieces tend not to wait politely until lunchtime.
Carry some cash.
Larger dealers may accept cards; smaller sellers often prefer cash.
Bargain gently.
A polite È trattabile? is quite enough. There is no need to approach negotiations as if purchasing a used car.
Check condition carefully.
Look for cracks in ceramics, woodworm in furniture, damage to frames and staining or repairs in old textiles.
Ask before photographing a stall.
Most people won’t mind, but it is nicer to ask.
Think about getting it home.
A 19th-century chest may look magnificent in Umbria and markedly less magnificent when Ryanair asks where you intend to put it.
And for smaller local markets, always check the organiser or Comune calendar before making a special journey. Market dates can change because of weather, festivals or local events.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The pleasure of these markets is that you never quite know what will turn up.
You might find old Tuscan ceramics, linen tablecloths, vintage jewellery, postcards, devotional objects, agricultural tools, kitchenware, prints, toys, furniture or photographs from families you will never meet.
Then there are the things that are harder to explain.
Ex votos, for example, small votive objects shaped like hearts, limbs and other body parts were traditionally left in churches as thanks for healing or protection. Metal examples occasionally appear among religious antiques and are among the stranger, more evocative pieces you may find.
And yes, sometimes the “antique market” treasure is a slightly battered Barbie for €3.
That counts too.
A MARKET MORNING, VILLA GIOIELLA STYLE
Part of the pleasure of staying here is that none of these outings has to feel like an expedition.
Choose a market, leave after breakfast, rummage for a while, then let the town take over. Find lunch. Walk somewhere you hadn’t planned to. Buy something you definitely did not need.
The market is often only the beginning.
Staying near these markets?
Villa Gioiella is a village home on the Umbria–Tuscany border, with Lake Trasimeno, market towns and some of central Italy’s loveliest hill towns within easy reach.
