Go vintage and never look back

Hello dear readers, as you have noticed the weather is changing: the harsh cold winter is leaving place to a slightly warmer climate, meaning spring is knocking on the door. I personally don't have anything against the cold weather because just like how the Nordic people say 'there is no such thing as bad weather but only bad manufactured clothes'. So as long as I am well dressed (usually many layers of clothes starting from a sleeveless vest, a shirt, a sweater and occasionally a scarf and a wool hat) with a nice winter jacket or occasionally a coat, I don't mind the winter season. But again, whether you are in Perugia like me or in some other European country, the inevitable change is occurring so we all need to get on board with it: spring time is here. This means that it is time to make some wardrobe changes and adjustments so that you can get the best out of this new season and also feel absolutely comfortable in the clothes you wear all day long. So for all of the beautiful people living in Perugia and surrounding areas I will give out some tips and tricks on how to do seasonal shopping without spending whole lot of your money and energy.

What is the main concept?

While it might seem to be surprising to some, I know many young people, including my friends, who are into this kind of shopping. Yes, you have guessed it right: I am talking about thrift shopping (a. k. a. second hand clothes shopping). The idea here is that you should make a conscious choice on how you spend your money when you are shopping for clothes. So instead of going to a hectic shopping mall full of big multinational industries, why don't you consider making a better choice by going to a local second hand market? Why not try something new? Let me just give you a few reasons why you, together with your friends, should definitely consider on going thrift shopping.

• Money wise you end up spending a whole lot less money when you go second hand clothes shopping instead of buying new clothes from any given clothes manufacturing industry. Reduced prices are typical of a second hand clothes market. I have had the chance to verify this fact in Italy, Poland, Ethiopia so pretty much in every country I have lived.
• Environment wise you become nature's favorite friend because by choosing to buy clothes that have already been manufactured you break this restless chain of capitalistic and consumer based lifestyle which does not offer a prosperous future of our planet and its natural resources.
• Style wise you will be unmistakeably recognizable by the way you choose to dress. Since going to a second hand clothes shop implies often that you can find stylish clothes from back in the days, by adjusting on the colour and texture of the fabric you can shine and feel good in the clothes you choose to wear. Then it would be quite hard that you end with the same exact $9. 99 sweater as your colleague who also got it from the conventional shopping malls.
• Adventure wise you set yourself up for a pleasant challenge which consists of going through the bundles of second hand clothes in the hope to find something you like.

Second hand markets in Perugia

If you come to Perugia as an exchange student or you just happen to spend a few days in this beautiful city, be sure to check at list a couple of these thrift shops:

• Mercausato, p. Soriano 64 (Zona industriale Sant'Andrea delle Fratte);
• Mercatino dell'usato Second hand shop, Via Sandro Penna 22/a;
• Secondamanina Perugia di Elisa Bagnetti, Via Amilcare Ponichielli;
• Mercatino usato corciano, Via Luigi Pasteur 1/a;
• Mercatino Perugia Filosofi, Via dei Filosofi 76/n;
• Mercatino usato Mercatinò, Via Angelo Morettini 57;
• Mercatino dell'usato venderlo a Perugia, Via Michelangelo Lorio 3.

Another alternative to these small second hand clothes shops are the widely spread open square markets held in just about every city on a designated day (sometimes more than once per week) and in a specific location. Well, in Perugia you have the following options:

• Market in Piazza Italia held twice a month (every other Sunday begging with the start of the month). The beauty of this particular market is that it offers more than vintage clothes, so expect to see furniture, household items, many collection items and different types of antiques.

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Typical assortment of a second hand square market.

• Market in Pian di Massiano called "Mercato del sabato" where I can somehow describe it as the first hub and probably the most important outdoor second hand clothes exposition. This is the one that you must check out by all means possible because it is worth it.

Market in Pian di Massiano

This unique Saturday market like shopping area is ideal for most of the things you wish to buy. A very simple and easy way to reach this market is to go by Minimetro: from the old town of Perugia you just need to walk to the closest minimetro station (called 'Pincetto') and ride approximately 15 minutes on the minimetro and get off at the last station called Pian di Massiano.

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A picture of the famous "light metro transportation system" of Perugia called Minimetro.

The Minimetro ticket costs 1. 50 euros for a period of 70 minutes from the first time you use it so it is up to you weather you want to go and come back with the same ticket (this means that you have no more than 40 minutes to be in the market) or else you would need to buy two tickets which will cost you 3. 00 euros in total.

Once you arrive at the last stop of the Minimetro you will need to walk for no more than two minutes before you find yourself immersed into a lively and colorful market. In my opinion it is best to arrive at the Pian di Massiano market starting from 9:30/10:00 am and go through the many vendours until late morning like 12:00. Though I have seen many people arrive even after 12:00 am I would not recomend this for you because as the houres go by there is less and less of the good stuff and in addition to this the vendors start collecting their things and call it a day. So if you want to "shop until you drop" be there early in the morning, no excuses.

What can you find in Pian di Massiano market?

The most interesting things you can get from this open market are:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables depending on the seasonal produces are offered at a very reasonable price. It might seem hard to believe but most fruits and vegetables are up for 0. 89 euros a kilo so you can imagine how fantastic that is.

   

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2. As mentioned earlier, it is the melting pot of many second hand clothes vendours located in the various spots of the one and only market in Perugia. Clothing items both for men and woman can be bought by no less than 1 euro a piece: shirts, trousers, scarfe, hats, sweaters, hoddies and much more.
3. Household products ranging from cleaning agents to mats and carpets, cooking utensils and a wide variety of kitchenware is all there waiting for you.
4. For the pet lovers you can find a wide variety of pets you can adopt and take home with you: aquarious fishes, small pigs, ducks, hamsters, birds and many more are available. On the side you have the chance to buy chickens, ducks and some other animals which can also be bought.
5. Typical street food very famous here in Perugia can be also found in this unique market. This street food is called "Porchetta" and it is basically a sandwich bread with roasted pork meat.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope it has been helpful for you.

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