This passed Friday, we went to Ventimiglia, which is a quaint little Italian town just across the France-Italy border. Ventimiglia literally means "twenty miles" and this town is about 4 stops after Monaco on the regional Cote D'azur train. This commute is only about an hour and a half and 9 euro train ride from where I live in France.
I have been wanting to go here ever since I first arrived on the French Riviera at the beginning of January because I've heard such lovely things about the market. Every Friday, even on Christmas day, there is a market that takes over this tiny town. I was expecting the market to be quaint, just like the town, but in actuality the market is about 5 kilometers long, winding through the streets and around corners and stretched out along the promenade. Little white tents are set up like dominoes selling everything from leather goods, to jewelery to pashminas and clothing , to oil and cheese. This market is also widely known as being one of the best "black markets" in all of Europe, so obviously I had to check it out.
I was in the company of my lovely mother who loves looking for a great deal back home in Canada, and she was beyond thrilled to learn that I was taking her to Italy to spend a day at a renowned marketplace. Thrifting is her paramount hobby and she is very good at it, so I was happy to experience this market with someone like her.
We arrived in Ventimiglia at about quarter to 11 and followed the crowds of people that come from all over France and Italy to explore this market and all it has to offer. Every Friday the town averages about 5,000 visitors, which is alot for a place with a population of 55,000. We walked, almost like a herd, towards the rows of tents. I told myself not to buy anything within the first hour, because I would probably find a better deal further along. But, of course I couldn't help myself and bought a pair of beautiful grey leather boots almost immediately. After a couple of hours of nosing around and purchasing more amazing finds, we decided to sit out on a patio along the Mediterranean for lunch. The weather has been back to being lovely again, and it has been sunny almost every day for the past week and a half with an average of 15 degrees. I love it! We also took a couple cappuccino breaks and managed to lose eachother for about half an hour in the crowds of people. Luckily, we had a meeting point in case something like that happened, which isn't completely out of the question for two women in a shopping frenzy. After finding eachother again, it was almost 5 o clock and the market was starting to shut down.
The market is usually open from 8am-5pm every Friday and even though Ventimiglia is a beautiful town, I wouldn't suggest going on any other day. If you can go early on a Friday morning, you can experience the market before lunch and then venture around the town afterwards to see all the other sites it has to offer: like, the Romanesque cathedral, the old town and the stunning views from the beach.
I will definitely come here again!!
