Holiday markets pop up all over the city. Some are small markets with only a few stalls. These are usually located near a church and run by the church. Larger markets are located in a piazza and draw all sorts of vendors. A few days ago this French holiday market set up in a small piazza. The stalls are impressive and look festive – much better than the generic white tents that are used in most markets. Although it was misting and the temperature was in the 50’s, we revisited the French holiday market to take a few photos and buy a few items.
Italians love scarves. Both men and women can be seen wearing scarves to protect them from the “evil winds” throughout the year. They’re very fashionable. One vendor had a huge selection of scarves in all sorts of fabrics. Some were heavy for winter and others were thin and light for other seasons. They sold them for €8 each, or two for €15, or three for €20. Guess which option we chose? Cinzia looked at all of the scarves, tried on a few, and finally found three that she liked. She’ll add them to her scarf collection at home.
In addition to the cheese vendors and bakers, there was a stand selling glasses of French champagne and plates of cold oysters. It was early and neither of us were in the mood to slurp down raw oysters, but Cinzia wanted to give the champagne a try, having never had true French champagne. She loved it (surprise!).
Italian women also love leggings. They seem to wear more leggings than jeans. (No complaints here.) There was a stand selling all sorts of decorative leggings and stockings, along with furry cuffs you could add to dress up your jacket or shirt. Cinzia thought they were cute, but probably not practical, so we passed on those.
Another guy was selling tablecloths. Now, we love the heavy table linens you see in the restaurants in this country, but you can either never find a place that sells quality linens, or the price is astronomical. Also, Italian table sizes, like their beds, do not run in the same standard sizes as those in the U.S. We managed to find one pattern that we both liked in a size that would fit our table when we’re not using the expansion leaf. It was €69, but I know we’ll get a lot of use out of it. We also picked up a nice kitchen towel, and who doesn't like a nice kitchen towel?
We had eaten at this French market the first time we visited and were impressed by the size of the pans they used to cook and serve the food. I refer to these as paella pans. We tried the beef bourguignon. I thought I’d include a few photos.
After leaving the market we walked under the porticos looking in the decorated shop windows. We picked up a small chestnut cake from a bakery we hadn't found to be opened the couple of times we passed by earlier in our stay. I spotted a tiny linen shop and we poked our heads in to have a look. The owner had a beautiful tablecloth in the perfect size for our table when we add the extension leaf. It was just what we had been looking for. The tablecloth was probably more than we had ever thought we’d pay, €190, but we figure we'll chalk it up as an early Christmas present to ourselves. We added a nice €15 kitchen towel to that and headed home so Cinzia could get a head start on packing for our trip to Roma on Thursday. Our bags are getting heavier!
In addition to the cheese vendors and bakers, there was a stand selling glasses of French champagne and plates of cold oysters. It was early and neither of us were in the mood to slurp down raw oysters, but Cinzia wanted to give the champagne a try, having never had true French champagne. She loved it (surprise!).
Italian women also love leggings. They seem to wear more leggings than jeans. (No complaints here.) There was a stand selling all sorts of decorative leggings and stockings, along with furry cuffs you could add to dress up your jacket or shirt. Cinzia thought they were cute, but probably not practical, so we passed on those.
Another guy was selling tablecloths. Now, we love the heavy table linens you see in the restaurants in this country, but you can either never find a place that sells quality linens, or the price is astronomical. Also, Italian table sizes, like their beds, do not run in the same standard sizes as those in the U.S. We managed to find one pattern that we both liked in a size that would fit our table when we’re not using the expansion leaf. It was €69, but I know we’ll get a lot of use out of it. We also picked up a nice kitchen towel, and who doesn't like a nice kitchen towel?
We had eaten at this French market the first time we visited and were impressed by the size of the pans they used to cook and serve the food. I refer to these as paella pans. We tried the beef bourguignon. I thought I’d include a few photos.
After leaving the market we walked under the porticos looking in the decorated shop windows. We picked up a small chestnut cake from a bakery we hadn't found to be opened the couple of times we passed by earlier in our stay. I spotted a tiny linen shop and we poked our heads in to have a look. The owner had a beautiful tablecloth in the perfect size for our table when we add the extension leaf. It was just what we had been looking for. The tablecloth was probably more than we had ever thought we’d pay, €190, but we figure we'll chalk it up as an early Christmas present to ourselves. We added a nice €15 kitchen towel to that and headed home so Cinzia could get a head start on packing for our trip to Roma on Thursday. Our bags are getting heavier!