Via Sannio Street Market: clothing and then some
Our Blogger: Arianna
While people are visiting Rome is not unusual that they ask for a shopping centre where to buy clothes and souvenirs. Unfortunately (or fortunately) inside the city we don’t have such big mall; they are located quite far and sometimes it’s not so simple to reach those areas using the public transportation.
But in the city there it’s possible to visit free open markets where you’ll find many bargains- maybe not brand clothing but there, besides getting a good price you’ll get as well a glimpse into the most picturesque romanity.
The most famous street market one is Porta Portese but it’s open only on Sundays. During week days your best option is Via Sannio, where you’ll find cheap clothes, past seasons stock, military articles, camping, hunting and fishing stuff.
This market is actually open every day from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm and it’s closed on Sunday.Most of the stands from Via Sannio in fact moved on Sunday to the Porta Portese market.
Some curiosities: generally in Sannio street you can buy the “ brand clothes” with substantial discounts in comparison with the usual prices but be careful: in fact most of the things you see there are actually good imitations of famous designer’s ideas.
But not everything is counterfeit, on Via Sannio you’ll find too many second-hand things: a great chance to get a vintage piece of wardrobe that will add a unique touch to your look.
What might be special for foreign tourists is the atmosphere of this tangle of stands: colours, voices and characters who live together inside this small world.
Some colourful characters you can meet at Via Sannio are: the tree of junk, Sylvan the dirty, Gino the musician, Joao the Philippin, Mustafa the optician, Ric and Jan the leather-goods dealers, Mara the seller of sleepers, Fidel the revolutionary, Lella the ragwoman, Tarcisio the infamous, Jimmy the graphic artist, Ahmed and Anal the Libyans, the crazy hatter, Max the business man.
For more information about this peculiar urban celebrities you can check out :
http://www.ziofringuello.com/viasannio.html
Hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel are the best in accomodation in Rome. The knowledgeable staff and the high standards of service will make your stay in the Eterna City memorable, and their great location will allow you to explore many hidden angles of the “real” Rome, like the market in Via Sannio.
Directions: from Termini station line A until San Giovanni in Laterano and then you’ll see it just on the corner.

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