FROM FLEAS TO ANTIQUES

THE APARTMENT

There's an eclectic little B&B in the old town section of Arezzo, BiBi Bed&Breakfast. The building is old but the inspiration is oh so new!

A woman named Laura took possession of the business in 2014 and that's when the three hundred year old building began its crazy transformation. We searched and searched on the Internet looking for a place to stay in Arezzo for the one night we'd be there before Arezzo's monthly antique fair began.

When we saw the BiBi we knew we had to try out its satin sheets and Regency headboards. There's a fine line between good design and kitsch. We weren't quite sure which side of the line the BiBi was going to fall but once we met Laura we knew it didn't matter. The entire B&B makes room for guests in three suites and two rooms. We reserved the two rooms and what rooms they were.

Vertically striped walls done in alternating Venitian plaster and paint and the puddling satin curtains with huge tasseled tiebacks created the envelope not to mention bathroom walls sprinkled with glitter.

Once your eyes adjusted to the striking walls and poufs of fabric it was the accessories that completed the effect of a royal retreat that either made you swoon or laugh with glee.




















THE AREZZO ANTIQUE MARKET 

We chose the BiBi so we could be close to the center of town and the antique market that runs the first Sunday and the day before of each month. It took us a while to figure out the wording of the dates until we realized that the first Sunday might also be the first day of the month.  Since the market is a two-day event the Saturday before might actually be the last day of the month before. Their translated description wasn't bad English but an accurate explanation of how basic time works.

Regardless, we figured it out and Saturday morning we were out the door and up the slopping ten-degree hill to the Piazza Grande and the center of the event.

Arezzo is an antique lovers mecca. Even when the market is not in session the streets of the old town are a cornucopia of antique shops specializing in almost anything you might be looking for. You can go from shops specializing in antiquities to those with a more modern bent, from art deco to mid-century modern

If budget wasn't a concern you can go high end with the beauty of Murano glass chandeliers. This burst of Italian sunflowers took our breath away. All you would need is an eighteen foot high ceiling in your entry hall to hang it in and good sized trust fund to finance it.

The market not only filled the Piazza but extended its tentacles well out into the streets emanating from the main square. Here the finds were just as exciting as the those we saw in the main square.

There are always going to be things that catch your eye and the first vendor's collection to pull us in was a man from England who had an unbelievable collection of silver plate flatware all in their original polished boxes

He had also transformed these wrought iron railing segments into lamps that could be adjusted into either floor or table top height. If I were doing a container to take back for clients a pair of these would have been the first to be included. At three hundred euros for a pair they were a steal even if you included the cost of shipping and converting to American standards. I still have his card and he says he ships worldwide.

After the lamps this settee and set of dining chairs reupholstered in vintage sack cloth would have been the next to go into the container.

It didn't take long for the heat and shopping to require a little break from the excitement and strain of antique overload. Aperol spritzs and cappuccinos got us a second wind and it was off to do some real damage.

But not before we stopped to get serenaded by a singer who dressed and sounded perfectly appropriate for the event.

Rick and JoHannah headed straight for the vintage linens. We found a woman from whom we had purchased many years before, Stefania Zocchi, who still attended the market with boxes and boxes of soft as baby's behind vintage Italian linen. We ended up with a monogrammed set of sheets and pillowcases while JoHannah walked away with a collection of pieces including euro shams, pillowcases and bed sheets.

Rick scored again from another merchant, who specialized in bolts of ticking, sack cloth and dyed linen walking away with roll of napkin fabric big enough to cut out a dozen oversized napkins.

I walked past this fish painting a half dozen times before I finally went back and bought it having no idea of how I was going to get it back to the States but convinced I could figure it out before we left Italy.

I don't know if it was the fish painting that got me in the mood for lunch but it was time to eat or go hungry before we left Arezzo. Today the duty of picking a food group was to me. It was my call. I opted for pizza at this strikingly modern restaurant, a break in the opposite direction of all the antiques we were now carrying around.

Sharing is a tradition when it comes to pizza and since we couldn't decide on which pizza we wanted we ordered two. There wasn't a slice left or an olive able to slip through our greasy fingers.

We wore ourselves out around three in the afternoon. We were planning on a four o'clock check-in in Armena for the original intent of this entire vacation, time with friends.