Loyola University Chicago

The Ways of the Flea Market

Setting out to shop at the weekly Sunday morning flea market at Porta Portese in Rome may be found by some to be more of an adventure than they had hoped for.

Taking the 280 bus from Piazza Cavour is a unique experience in itself. This is the main bus to the flea market therefore it is extremely crowded with eager Italian shoppers, tourists from near and far, and more beggars, pick-pocketers and gypsies than one will probably encounter during their whole stay in Rome.

There was very little verbal communication, if any, going on amongst the people on the bus. Most of the noise was coming from the noise on the streets outside and the engine of the bus as it moved along. It could easily be seen which people on the bus were not accustomed to the aggressive ways of the native Italians. Not only did their jeans and running shoes give them away, but the unsure looks on their faces was also an indication that they were foreigners.

Anyone with even a slight fear of crowds may not be able to handle the bus ride of wall-to-wall people, especially the dark-haired man who felt the need to shove himself up against the unexpecting English girls nearby. Another man could be seen attempting to unzip the purse of an older woman in front of him.

Men were not the only people on this bus trying to take advantage of the unknowing tourists. A lady nearby, apparently a gypsy, conveniently strapped her baby onto her shoulder so she would have one hand free to feel the girl's backpack next to her for a wallet, camera or anything else of value. Fortunately, on this bus ride, no one seemed to be successful at their attempted thefts. However, it is somewhat surprising that, upon realizing they were about to be victimized, none of these people did anything more than turn away or get a firmer grip on their belongings, as would be expected in the U.S. if someone was about to be robbed.

Upon entering the flea market, one should not expect to find a sparser crowd than that on the bus ride there. The streets were absolutely packed, especially between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Crowds grew even thicker in front of the more popular stands. The shoppers did not mind nearly running people over to get where they were going. What may be seen as an invasion of personal space back home was not taken into account here.

Everyone seemed to be looking for a deal, too. Bargaining between the salespeople and the customers could be seen at nearly every stand. If the desired price was not achieved by either person, anger became apparent in their faces as they threw their hands into the air. If both the seller and the buyer were satisfied, they parted with a friendly "ciao" and a smile.

Also making their way through the crowds were a number of beggars. One man was holding a baby as he asked passers-by for their spare change. There were numerous others looking to sell the lighters, small toys and other miscellaneous gadgets they were carrying.

By 10:00 the streets of the market were filthy and the air smelled like a combination of smoke, the food for sale and the hundreds of people packed into the small area.

If one has the patience to deal with all this they are likely to discover many great bargains at the rows and rows of clothing, shoes, jewelry, rugs, household goods, purses and almost anything else you could think of.