Flea market in Navigli

Today, Sunday, January 28th, is the last Sunday of January and I remembered that on the last Sunday of each month, there is a flea market taking place along the main canal in the Navigli neighborhood, which is more in the south of Milan. This flea market is called in Italian “Mercatone dell’Antiquariato”. As I already mentioned before in one of my previous post, I had already been there when I first arrived here in August but did not have the chance to go back since, and today I finally had some time and I decided to go back there. And I loved it as much as the first time, probably even more because I really took the time to look at all the stalls and enjoy the afternoon!

If, like me, you like flea markets and vintage things in general, then you should totally go and visit this flea market. Even if you do not intend to buy anything, the atmosphere is really pleasant and the scenery is beautiful with the canal right behind the stalls. There is everything there to make you have a good time and enjoy this market.

This market is one of the biggest in the city, with around 400 stallholders. With that many stalls, you can find anything you could be looking for: clothes, books, furniture, decorations, jewelry etc. … Most of them are vintage, but some of them are more modern, so you can really find anything.

The stalls are not only along the main canal, but also in the streets on its sides, which you discover as you are walking. There are also some places that are more hidden, for examples with an arch on the entrance but don’t be shy, get inside! These are some very nice and quiet places, with fewer people. Maybe there is not much inside but it’s still nice to see them. This is also what gives some charm to this flea market.

Another great thing is that there are some bars, restaurants and gelateria all along the canal, so if you want to have a break and have lunch, a fresh or warm drink or even only an ice cream, it is totally possible (and it’s great to keep on walking along the stalls with an ice cream, believe me).

There are quite a lot of people going to this flea market, but as the area is large and the market is in such a long street, there is no problem to walk: it doesn’t get overcrowded (at least at this time of the year, maybe it will be different in April or May). This market is quite a big event in the city, I think today was the first time that I saw that many people in Navigli! The weather was also really nice with some sun and not too cold, which probably encouraged the people to go outside and enjoy it.

It took me about one hour to make a tour around the whole market. I did not buy anything, but sometimes I really wanted to and it was hard to resist, like for one of these vintage suitcases that would look awesome in a living-room or bedroom, and also definitely to travel. So many other objects were really tempting, like some mirror frames which I absolutely love and of which you can see the picture just below.

The flea market in Navigli is definitely something to check out if you are in Milan at this time of a month. Remember! Only the last Sunday of each month.