Arezzo Antique Market – Miss Mustard Seed

After our day-and-a-half delay in London, we arrived in Florence late at night and sleepily went through customs and connected with the driver who would take us to the Prone to Wander retreat in Sovicelle.  He was a kind gentleman who spoke a little English, so we exchanged the usual pleasantries, then sat quietly for the rest of the drive.  The main excitement of the ride was his driving style.  Mom and I referred to him as Mario Andretti the rest of the week, because he drove that oversized Mercedes van like it was a race car.  He was screeching around corners and passing everyone on the road.  Mom and I sat in the back, wide-eyed, gripping the nearest handle as if it would save us from calamity, hoping we would make it to the retreat in one piece.  I’ll break the suspense.  We did. Not only did we make it in one piece, but we got there in under an hour, which is impressive according to anyone we spoke to who has made that trip.

Mom and I did the least amount required before we fell into bed.  The next morning, we would be leaving (relatively) early for Arezzo to spend the day touring the hilly Tuscan city and shopping at its famous antique market.

It’s always exciting waking up in a new place and seeing it in the morning light for the first time.  I opened the shutter covering my room’s window and was greeted by the rolling Tuscan countryside.  It was so beautiful and served as the shot of caffeine I needed after a short night.

I’ll share more about where we stayed, the retreat, and our hosts in another post.

Our group grabbed a quick breakfast in the dining room before taking the one-hour bus ride to Arezzo.  We would spend the day there, from about 10 in the morning until 5:00. The day was gloomy and gray, with rain in the forecast, so we planned to leave early if rain shut down the antique market.  Fortunately, the clouds cleared, the puddles dried up, and it ended up being a lovely day.  It was windy and much colder than expected, but I would take that over heat and humidity.

From where our bus parked, one could either climb several flights of stone stairs to enter the walled city or take the modern route: escalators.  I knew we would do plenty of walking, so we took the escalators.  Once you get to the top of the hill, to the entrance, you can see how this city was perfectly poised to defend itself against incoming threats. You could see every direction for miles from different vantage points around the city.

At the entrance, you’re greeted with the hilltop Cathedral featuring a 15th-century fresco.  On the first Sunday of the month, you’re also invited to shop the famous Arezzo antique market, which has been in operation for over 500 years.  I wish I could see what kind of “antiques” were being sold 500 years ago.

The antique market is a little daunting at first if you’ve never been.  The streets are winding, and so is the market.  Without someone to point you in the right direction, it’s hard to know how to follow the market and where it will end or possibly continue just around the corner.  It’s important to know this, too, otherwise you’ll end up walking down hills only to have to turn around and hike back up.  Mom and I felt a little lost, so we connected with Carolyn, our retreat leader, who drew the route to the antique market on a map from the welcome center.

Before we got into the heart of the city, I was distracted by the view from the park behind the cathedral.  Mom and I walked over there so I could get some pictures as the sun was just coming out.  It was one of those special moments in travel when you’re standing in a beautiful place, taking it all in, and you know it will be ingrained in your memory forever.  The wind was blowing up the hill, rustling my skirts and mussing my hair, and the sun dappled the landscape, illuminating bright green fields against dark blue shadows and rich olives.  The clouds were puffy and shades of white and gray, just how I like them.

While I took pictures of the landscape, Mom took a picture of me, and it’s my favorite from the whole trip.

When we were done admiring the view, we started following the path Carolyn drew on the map for us.  I had a few things in mind that I was looking for, but I was genuinely more interested in looking at things and enjoying the day than I was in buying a lot of stuff.  I thoroughly enjoyed studying all the art that spoke to me and kept an eye out for frames for my own works that might be practical to carry back in my suitcase.

When I saw this piece, I wished I could beam it home!  The wood had the most beautiful patina, and I sort of loved the slight bow of the desk top, speaking to its use and age.

This was my favorite frame that I saw the entire day, but it was too big to take back in my suitcase, and it was more than I wanted to spend.

Here are some other things I admired, but didn’t buy…

The horse painting at the bottom spoke to me…

I found the taxidermy table fascinating, but I imagine customs would be a nightmare if you tried to bring an Eurasian spoonbill home in your suitcase.

I did pass one table that was of particular interest to me and, if you know me at all, you’ll see why…

I inquired about the cost of the paint palettes, since they were one of the items on my list.  The gentleman explained that all of the art supplies were from one artist who had passed away.  He wanted to sell everything together as a collection to honor the artist.  I didn’t even ask about the total price since I didn’t have room to take home all of the art boxes, easels, and other studio supplies.

Surprisingly, I didn’t find any other art boxes or palettes at the antique market.  I was expecting there would be several vendors offering antique art supplies.  Many vendors carried fountain pens, but I didn’t find one that spoke to me that was also in good working order.

After taking a ton of pictures, I noticed that many vendors had signs (in Italian, so I couldn’t read them) forbidding photography of their wares.  I’m guessing they are weary of tourists taking pictures and getting in the way of potential paying customers.  Anyway, from that point on, I started asking if it was okay if I took photos, and everyone I asked said it was okay.

I ended up buying three things.  The first is a French book, Hélène Et Ses Amies, from 1864 with a beautiful velum spine, which was marked as a library book (biblioteca circolante) from Florence, for €5.  The second is a 12″ blonde wood parallel ruler with brass hardware, made by Aston & Mader of London in 1942 for €40.  The third was this little original oil portrait of a girl in a blue dress for €60.

When we finished perusing the market, we walked back up the hill through the city, I took photos of architecture and dogs, and we stopped to sit a while at a cafe to have a light lunch.  Here are some of the photos I took around Arezzo…

The last dog was a riot.  It’s like he knew I was taking the picture and posed appropriately.

By the time we made it back to the cathedral, where we started, the stone was glowing in the sunlight.

While the sun had come out with more intensity, the temperature dropped significantly.  We were tired from our travels and a late night, so Mom and I sat on the cathedral steps in the sun for a while.  I sketched and caught up in my journal, and my mom people-watched.

After sitting for a while, we toured the inside of the hilltop cathedral, which is free to visit.  As you might expect, it is stunning.  Pictures can’t possibly do it justice.  Construction on the cathedral started in the late 13th century and was completed in 1511.

Below is the tomb of Pope Gregory X, who died in 1276.

The highlight of Arezzo, for me, was the view.  It truly was spectacular and, if you find yourself in the southern part of Tuscany, it’s worth a visit for that reason alone.

On the bus ride back to Sovicelle, everyone chatted about their day and shared their easy-to-unwrap purchases from their bags while we all ooed and aahed.  We had a bit of time to unwind before meeting in the dining room for dinner.  Mom and I had missed the retreat welcome dinner, so this was our first time dining at Agriturismo Borgo Personatina, where we were staying for the week.  As I said at the beginning of the post, I’ll share more about that beautiful place and the fantastic people who make it so special in another post.  Suffice it to say, all of the food was delicious – fresh, expertly prepared, and hearty.  I tried to make notes on what we ate, but I neglected to do that for our first dinner.  If I remember correctly, it involved a bowl of soup that was perfect after a chilly day.

The next day, we had a more leisurely morning, and then I would be teaching my workshop…