Flea Market in Navigli

Every last Sunday of the month in the Navigli district of Milan, there’s a traditional antique flea market, similar to Rome’s Porta Portese. Here, lovers of knick-knacks, vintage items, and collectors can find hundreds of useful and not-so-useful things that most modern people no longer need.

Visiting the market with children can be interesting, just to show them what a rotary phone or an envelope opener looked like back in the day. The flea market in Navigli is like diving into history and also an opportunity to find a unique souvenir to remember your visit to Milan.

In the evening, dozens of bars and restaurants open up here. Just looking at the map, you can see that there’s an abundance of them. The nearest metro station, Porta Genova, is about a 15-minute ride from the Duomo di Milano, and you can walk there in about half an hour.

We managed to cover about a third of the stalls in an hour. I hope my photo report will give you an idea of this atmospheric place. Let’s start virtual shopping!

Vintage Gucci bags from collections that are about 10-20 years old are priced between 350 and 500 EUR, while Louis Vuitton bags range from 650 to 900 EUR.

Collectors of badges will be able to add to their collection. By the way, Soviet badges with Lenin and the Komsomol are also in demand here.

There are military casings, belts, and medals – mostly German or American.

Continuing with the military theme, let’s move on to choosing knives.

Barber and hairdresser tools – they used to pay attention to the design even of ordinary scissors.

Paintings and reproductions from half a century ago.

And here are those disc phones. I wonder if the 21st-century generation would know how to dial a number on such a device, if necessary? These phones are often bought by bar and restaurant owners as interior decorations.

Even non-working radios from the past century look super stylish.

Now let’s move on to potential clutter and home decorations. How would you use this gilded crocodile head?

A finger, but a hundred times larger, is installed in the La Défense district in Paris. But it would look great in a nail salon.

Ceramic figurines, I don’t even know what to do with them. They’re just beautiful and unique items.

I would simply acquire the pipe because it’s beautiful.

I’m already considering getting this gorilla. I’ll place it at the entrance of my house, it will make guests smile.

I also liked the knight’s armor, but I have no ideas on where to put it yet.

If you have a banker friend, you can gift them Uncle Scrooge – a very original gift that I wouldn’t mind having myself.

More and more often in European countries, I come across specialized stores with toys for collectors. It turns out that this hobby is enjoyed by quite grown men and sometimes girls. Cars, toy guns, soldiers – there’s a huge selection of all these things at the flea market.

Using unconventional lamps in interior design has become very fashionable, especially considering the wide range of modern lamp models that allow you to play with any idea. You can check out their models ranging from the 1910s to the 1980s on their official website www.musellioggettistica.com You can also find inspiration on their Instagram @muselliofficineluce.

Let’s move on to the stalls with jewelry. Unusual chains and rings to suit every taste – everything costs between 5 and 25 EUR.

It’s hard to come up with a use for these trinkets, they’re just beautiful and unique items.

Silverware and various kitchen utensils.

Silver jewelry.

Photographers and designers can find rare albums and books on their craft.

You can even buy a stuffed crab!

Milan is the fashion capital of the world. For those studying the history of fashion and designers, the market can be of interest with its clothing sketches, especially since trends tend to repeat themselves.

The cinema chairs, by the way, are very comfortable.

Alchemy enthusiasts and perfumers can stock up on the necessary supplies.

Nowadays, Domenica del Corriere is of interest to collectors and is sold for 10 EUR per volume. There are even volumes that are over 100 years old.

Vinyl enthusiasts can find albums from almost all well-known artists of the 70s and 80s. The price of a vinyl record in good condition ranges from 15 to 20 EUR.

Enjoyed the stroll? Have you been to flea markets before? What do you usually buy there? Share your thoughts in the comments.