Lucca is quite simply a beautiful Italian town, and once a month it hosts the Lucca Antique Market (Mercatino dell’Antiquariato a Lucca), which is considered one of the best places in Italy to search for antiques.

During high season, more than 230 merchants take over the Via del Battistero, Piazza San Martino, Piazza Antelminelli, Piazza San Giovanni, Piazza San Giusto and Piazza Bernardini, with stalls littering all the streets and alley ways in between. Lucca Antique Market takes place over a weekend, but Sundays are the day to attend. They provide the best chance at scoring some really incredible antiques.

Lucca Antique Market has been a tradition since the 1970s. With the old Roman walls and stunning cathedral, Lucca is a town worth visiting any time of the month, but antique enthusiasts should not miss the monthly market. The majority of dealers are from the local area, though shoppers come from near and far to rummage through the stalls and see what treasures are lurking. This market now has a wide reaching reputation for the quality of the antiques, and both visitors and traders enjoy the historical setting as a backdrop to the historical artifacts.

There are thousands of items for sale at Lucca Antique Market, and the stalls seem to burst with antiques of every conceivable shape and size. It is certain that all tastes and collectors’ whims are accounted for. There are examples of beautiful jewelry, furniture large and small, paintings and other artwork, marble sculptures, World War I memorabilia, old refrigerators from the fifties, linen, carpets and rugs, vintage postcards and prints and almost anything else you can think of.

Visitors to Lucca Antique Market will struggle indeed to leave empty handed. The question rather becomes how much is it physically possible to carry! Luckily this market is a regular affair, and undoubtedly after one visit, a second one will be planned. Anyone with an interest in vintage and antique goods should make a bee line here, as should anyone who enjoys an amazing market.