By Tyler Flanagan
ROME, Sept. 28 - Who thinks Sundays in Rome are just the end to a normal weekend?
Sundays in Rome mean the most diverse and popular open air flea market in the city, at Porta Portese. It takes place every Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the neighborhood of Trastevere. For many John Cabot University students, it's a short walk away.
What can be found there? Vendors sell all imaginable forms of merchandise: antiques, second-hand clothing, movies, books, trinkets, food, magazines, shoes, sunglasses and artwork. For students on a budget, this the perfect place to find some unique things, as well as a unique experience.
It is not necessarily the cleanest flea market; you will
find garbage bags piled everywhere on the roads. Still, it is a lot of
fun. While most of the items on sale are discounted, bargaining is welcome.
The trick? Haggle with authority.
Andrea Carbun, 39, is a vendor at a stall specializing in sunglasses. He said, “It is easy to pick out the American students at Porta Portese. If they don’t speak Italian they don’t know what a good price or bad price is on an item, therefore it’s easier to sell them merchandise at full price.”
He
went on to also explain that even if a student tries to bargain, he will
raise the price down by only one euro. Most students think they are getting a great deal, he added. Students should prepare ahead of time -- write down a
few words or sentences in Italian to bargain more effectively. Better yet, go with an Italian.
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