Vintage Shopping in the Citta Eterna

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While all roads may eventually lead to Rome, in my case this holiday, after a long list of admin snafu's and doggy debacles significantly relieved my wallet of all its Euros, all roads, sadly, could not lead (as planned) to the Via Condotti (the Roman 5th Avenue). Still, whenever I cross a national border, there is undoubtedly the killer itch to dabble in the host country's local produce, and in the case of Italy, this is of course glorious bounty of the likes of Prada, Gucci, Fendi et al. So I did what any fashionista short on cash would do and headed straight for Rome's vintage heart, the eternal city, after all, is bound to have eternal fashion. And the vote from the Senatus Populusque Romanus is in--it most definitely does.

First off there's the famous Sundays-only Trastevere flea market nestled against the Porta Portese (alas, I was unable to rise at dawn and so missed out on the best of goodies, fighting against a sweaty crowd just to dig out a few embroidered peasant tops for 2 Euro each). Where I saw this guy:

He kept making some quacking sound which really got Butters going, hence drawing an even larger crowd. In and of itself, perhaps worth the morning venture across the Tiber.

But the real vintage McCoy of the ancient city is just tucked behind the famous Piazza Navona, around the corner from the "Talking Statue" of Piazza Pasquino, the hidden gem of a street, Via del Governo Vecchio. Perhaps the "old government" to which the Via's name refers is actually Italy's rich reign at the top of the international fashion consortium, regardless, this is the street name you want to remember.

"Talking Statues" were a form of anonymous political expression in Rome where criticisms in verse forms were posted on famous statues throughout the city. The tradition began in the 15th century taking aim at the corruption of the papacy and continues to this very day. The posting, that is, and not the corruption. Well ok, maybe the corruption too.

Regardless, once you've located this statue, you have reached your aim (massive queue engulfing the street from Rome's premier pizzeria, Pizza Baffetto being the other locale-affirming landmark). Trust me, it's well worth the wait and, unfortunately, nearly impossible to restrain yourself to just one pizza (I mean, they're so thin you can practically eat the whole damn thing in one bite!).


The next step is simple: merely follow the yellow brick vintage road, making sure to pop into some of the specialty boutiques along the way (one shop even featured a scrumptious Italian nanna handworking lace which was to adorn some of the gorgeous gowns they sold). I'd like to highlight one in particular, “Cinzia” (No. 45) open for nearly two decades and run by two very cool, chain smoking, dog-loving vintage Romans. From an impressive array of funky, individualistic dresses, over the top platform heels, enough soft well-worn Italian leather bags to keep even the likes of me happy for a long time and the occasional one-off couture/true designer gem...the store, like the lovely people who own and run it, is bursting with splendiferous Italian character and energy (the three doggies bounding happily around the shop didn't influence me in anyway, I swear). After a few solid hours of perusing, I went home with a bag full of cool new goodies and Butters with a new Italian doggy boyfriend. You know what they say, when in Rome...

NB Apologies for the shoddy photos...among the many unexpected joys I encountered on my voyage was the very sad and very untimely demise of my camera and so had to resort to using the phone.

Crizia
45 Via Del Governo Vecchio
Hours mon/sat 10-20:00, sun 14-20:00
tel. 39 06 6832945

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