Rovereto’s “Mercatino d’altri tempi” Revives Old-Fashioned Market Traditions

It is called “Mercatino d’altri tempi” and today it returns to bring stalls back to the historic center of Rovereto. The first event of the new year, after the January break, has the flavor of nostalgia, proving that a certain passion for objects of the past is not exclusive to our times.

“Rummaging through drawers,” sometimes reveals echoes of distant times, now forgotten, but witnesses to the old saying “there is nothing new under the sun”. In the case of so-called “flea markets”, everyone might think they are a recent invention, given the boom they have experienced, not only in the region. Instead, as early as the 1960s, Rovereto hosted a market of old-fashioned items “organized by the Tourism Agency and sponsored by the Exhibition of Craftsmanship, Industry, and Agriculture”.

History and current relevance of markets

Later, in the 1970s, the market was promoted with a full-color postcard bearing the caption “Piazza del Grano Market” in four languages. Today, the tradition has been taken up again by the Circolo Culturale Numismatico-Filatelico roveretano, which has revived the historical reference mentioned above. At the request of the economic activities department, it has been managing the “Mercatino d’altri tempi” for over a year, which takes place every first Saturday of the month in the squares of Erbe, Malfatti, and Damiano Chiesa.

The phenomenon of markets has experienced a real boom, often proposed as “modern antiques”. However, this term hardly captures the essence of a nostalgic dive into a recent past that comes alive again through the objects of grandmothers, collected in cellars and old trunks, covered in cobwebs.

Objects that ultimately fill stalls, booths, and markets, which consistently occur throughout Italy and, in recent years, also in various locations across the province. Regarding Lower Trentino, notable markets include those in Arco, held on the third Saturday of each month; the one in Villa Lagarina, a regular event on the last Saturday of each month; and the periodic market at Rover Center in Rovereto.