La Dolce Vita 2023 will include a visit to two Tuscan markets.

First an antique Tuscan market followed by the Siena weekly market on a different day. The two Tuscan markets will have vastly different offerings, affording attendees a look at two different Italian market styles.

Siena weekly market

The Siena weekly market is where locals go to purchase food and reasonably priced clothing, shoes and household items. While there will be the odd booth selling second hand clothes and housewares, for the most part this market offers new items. If you’re a fan of Italian linen, this is the place to pick up tops, dresses and pants at prices that are difficult to match at home. In fact, we joke that “shop ’til you drop” was invented for a favorite linen booth (see above, ha ha!).

In addition to clothing/shoes/housewares, there is also a small food section where you can see Italian Nonnas choose cheese, fresh vegetables and meats for their table and shopkeepers call out their offerings hoping to attract buyers to their stall.

Antique Markets

For antique lovers and vintage loving vixens, there is nothing like shopping the antique markets of Europe and your week at La Dolce Vita will include a visit to one! At the markets, you are typically able to find religious medals, linens, jewelry, porcelain, and bric-à-brac galore!

At the September 16-23, 2023 La Dolce Vita week, we plan to visit the Lucca antique market. Lucca lies approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes from our home base of Borgo Personatina. A beautiful medieval walled town, you will find quaint cafes, beautiful churches and a photo op around every corner as you wander through the town.

Here’s an idea of what to expect from the Summer in Italy website:

“Lucca hosts the region’s second biggest antique market. Its strength (shared by many other Tuscan towns) lies in its setting among the town’s lovely streets where bread chests, cupboards, bedside tables, armchairs and hundreds of other objects are on display, where even a new object looks like a valuable antique. In addition to furniture, you can find XIX-century linens, vintage postcards, antique china and World War I memorabilia.”

Should you end up purchasing more treasures than will fit into your suitcase, it will be possible for you to bring them to a shipping company when we visit Siena to have them mailed home to you.

*Please note, as we are preparing our schedule several months out. There is always the possibility that the actual markets we visit could be different. This is dependent on the tuscan market dates. *