Porta Portese : Flea market of Rome Review
Tanmoy's review
On Sundays from 7am to 1pm, every peddler from Trastevere and the surrounding Castelli Romani sets up a temporary shop at the sprawling Porta Portese open-air flea market
From Day 8: Venice to Rome in Rome, Italy on Jun 15 '06
Porta Portese is one of the largest, most diverse and popular flea-markets in Europe . On any given Sunday up to 4,000 stalls open shop to sell all imaginable merchandise, including antiques (as well as a lot of junk), second hand clothes, books, magazines, decorative items and food products.
Today's gateway is the renovation of a wall built in the 17th century by Pope Urban VIII who, in response to the disastrous sacking of Rome by German mercenaries, wanted to fortify the Janiculum Hill. The present gateway takes the place of the earlier Porta Portuensis:
At the end of the 3rd century AD, for the first time ever, the Emperor Aurelianus decided to enclose Trastevere and the Janiculum Hill inside the walls of the city because he considered these districts essential to Rome's defenses. The Via Portuensis, like so many other Roman roads, took its name from its destination.
It left from this gate for the ports built by Claudius and Trajan. It was therefore one of the most important commercial arteries as it was used for supplying Rome's markets.
Porta Portese, even today, hosts Rome's flea market which takes place each Sunday morning and extends all the way up to Viale Trastevere.
On Sundays from 7am to 1pm, every peddler from Trastevere and the surrounding Castelli Romani sets up a temporary shop at the sprawling Porta Portese open-air flea market. The vendors are likely to sell merchandise ranging from secondhand paintings of Madonnas and termite-eaten Il Duce wooden medallions, to pseudo-Etruscan hairpins, bushels of rosaries, 1947 TVs, and books printed in 1835. Serious shoppers can often ferret out a good buy. If you've ever been impressed with the bargaining power of the Spaniard, you haven't seen anything till you've bartered with an Italian.
Due to the market's soaring popularity, finding bargain deals is becoming increasingly difficult, but it is still possible. All you need is some patience and a good hand at bartering and then you're bound to leave Porta Portese with at least one or two unique acquisitions.
By 10:30am the market is full of people. As at any street market, beware of pickpockets.
Top Rome Deals
Popular Rome Hotels
- Bettoja Mediterraneo
- The Crowne Plaza Hotel Rome St. Peters
- Best Western Hotel Canada
- Rose Garden Palace
- Melia Roma
- Jolly Hotel Midas Roma
- Hotel Gabriella
- Ponte Sisto Hotel
- De Petris
- Castello Della Castelluccia
Would you like to comment or ask a question?