A shopping tip for Rome

Ever wondered where to shop in Rome? Probably not as there are hundreds of shops ranging from Dolce & Gabana to the down right dodgy. You've got the glitz and glamour of Via Condotti with all your designer names, Via del Corso which is the equivalent of the high street with your main line and 'normal' priced shops and Via Nazionale which has a good collection of clothes and shoes shops more mid range. If you need to buy something you can find it in Rome...we are the capital of Italy after all.

Hang on a minute though. Is this post not meant to give you tips of places to go a little off the tourist track? Yes, tour guide Leanne is here to inform you of a market which happens to be biggest flea market in Rome. Locals and tourists a like flock here, but before actually living here in Rome I never knew it existed...it was never mentioned in any of my guide books. If you like markets, big, crazy markets where there is a lot of trash or treasure depending on your taste then the Porta Portese Market is for you.

The Porta Portese Market is a famous market held every Sunday without exception. Regardless of whether it's Easter or Christmas, if it's a Sunday this market is open for business. You can find anything and everything ranging from second hand antiques, new and used books, clothes, shoes, hand bags, kitchen goods, jewellery...even a bit of fruit and vegetables. I used to live up the road from the market and used to go every Sunday morning with 10 euro and see how much I could buy! My favourite part of the market used to be the massive tables of second hand clothes all thrown in a pile while people (like me) over come with the smell of a bargain would dive wildly into the stock. Each item was 1 euro and I swear there was a girl my exact size who seemed to be throwing away great articles of clothing every week.

The market is not for the faint hearted. It can be loud, busy, hot in the summer and wet in the winter...but if you like bargain hunting, if you like markets then it is worth it.

When: Every Sunday from 7-1 (approximate times)
Where: Porta Portese
How to get there: There are many ways to get there and it is not far from the ancient centre of Rome. From the Termini Station take bus H and get off on Viale Trastevere - you'll know where to get off as all the stalls will be on the left hand side. Another option is to take the Tram number 8 from Largo di Torre Argentina. The tram goes on Viale Trastevere as above.

One word of warning is to beware of pick pockets.