Having arrived on the bus from the airport we decided to walk to our hotel near the hospital in Venice. On our walk we came across a flea market, near the hospital in the area called San Giovanni e Paolo.
It was Saturday lunch and the area was alive with stalls, sellers, buyers and browsers. ... Read review
Advantages: Easy find, easy found, with some great bargains. Disadvantages: None other than baggage allowance.
...sticky tape, as they are open again on the Sunday.
It you are at a loss for somewhere to browse away from the tourist crowds, I would recommend that you take a walk, follow the signs for the hospital and find the Venice Flea Market.
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Having arrived on the bus from the airport we decided to walk to our hotel near the hospital in Venice. On our walk we came across a flea market, near the hospital in the area called San Giovanni e Paolo.
It was Saturday lunch and the area was alive with stalls, sellers, buyers and browsers. We took our cases to the hotel and walked the short distance back and became the browsers.
There was Murano glass both old and new, second hand and chipped. Trinkets, jewellery, photos, buttons made from glass that I hadn’t seen the likes of for years. When I was small all my hand knitted cardigans that my mum made me had glass buttons on them. Chandeliers of varying sizes, wall mounted lights, coins of every denomination. We found a couple of 1948, 1 shilling’s (now 5p’s) that they had in a mixed coin box. The stall holder was selling these for 3 euros each.
The stall holders where very friendly and very accommodating to all of us that couldn’t speak Italian.
There are a couple of bars in the area and the wonderful thick drinking chocolate was 2.5 euros for two cups and a l’umbra, a small glass of wine less than a euro. What more could you ask for.
The prices of the items on sale were not exorbitant but with the exchange rate at about a £1 for a euro, you just have to stop and think. We had flown with Ryanair and only taken hand luggage so a large purchase was out of the question, with 10 kg limit.
We walked through the same are to go out in the evening and thought all the stalls would have gone, but they just cover them up with plastic sheeting, secured with brown sticky tape, as they are open again on the Sunday.
It you are at a loss for somewhere to browse away from the tourist crowds, I would recommend that you take a walk, follow the signs for the hospital and find the Venice Flea Market.
