Is Naples also a place to go for vintage shopping?

May 12, 2021 —

Evelin Ojamets

Ancient city of Naples in Southern Italy is typically known as the birthplace of pizza and home to the delicious mozzarella cheese. Those who have been there as tourists might add to it the beauty of volcano Vesuvius, historical buildings dating back thousands of years and the sunny Southern Italian landscape. The city is serving also as a port to surrounding Amalfi coast and the islands of Ischia, Procida and legendary blue Capri.

However, the fact that Naples can be used also as a destination for vintage shopping is a closely guarded secret by locals. The best market for vintage is called Resina and it’s being located 10 km outside of Naples in the Portici area. 30 minutes by car and you’re in the middle of vintage shopper’s heaven. Rows and rows of little outlets offering you everything from carnival costumes for style parties to leather garments, as well as suits, dresses, shoes and bags. Layers of fashion history are looking to be discovered: from 50s to nowadays, some rare findings also from 30s. There are also other markets in Naples where one could find some items of value - like in piazza Garibaldi -, but Resina overshadows them to great extent

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Take a deep breath and dive in.

It’s not your typical market, as instead of market stands the goods are gathered inside little houses that open their doors each morning from 6 o'clock and close around 5 o'clock in the evening. Sellers are often living in the same building or in the close neighborhood. Lively and messy atmosphere can at first sight even scare an inexperienced buyer, especially one coming from the Nordic countries where we are not used to people gesticulating and frequently coming to just a few centimeters of distance from you. However, take a deep breath and dive into the vintage paradise, you will soon get used to it.

Resina’s history is dating back to the end of the World War II, as it started as a place for selling and buying clothes and other items that used to belong to the US Army. From this it gradually developed into the famous vintage market, having its raise in 60s. In the early days the clothes were brought to the market as big “balls” and opened on the spot on the ground, so an interested buyer needed to come early in the morning and literally jump into that, in order to find the best items. It wasn’t rare to find in the pockets of a pair of vintage trousers a watch belonging to the previous owner or even some money.

Nowadays it has become more advanced with its outlets, so clothes are no longer sold on the ground. But as one can really find original items belonging to different time periods, it’s a popular shopping place also for movie makers and theatre wardrobe creators.

Clothes are typically sorted by type (dresses, shoes, bags, jackets, trousers, suits, ties etc) and size, so it’s easy to get an overview of what’s on sale. However, don’t think that you will take a look, find what’s yours and leave in half an hour. As for all the good things, finding the vintage pearls takes time and frequently there are only 1-2 truly worthwhile items among 20-30. But these are real findings, so take your time! We would suggest to plan at least 2-3 hours for the market visit. More experienced you are, more efficient you will become.

As for what one could find there, our recent examples of successful findings in terms of real exclusive vintage have been an ivory Chanel leather bag for 120 EUR, dark blue Armani jacket for 20 EUR, and black Prada stilettos for 60 EUR.

Tips for a good vintage shopping in Resina:

Set the alarm at 6 am, so that you would arrive at the opening of the market.
On your way to the market, stop by the “Antico Forno delle Sfogliatelle Calde Fratelli Attanasio” in piazza Garibaldi to enjoy the taste of one of the most famous Neapolitan pastries for breakfast. Day will be long, so don’t count every calorie and take two!
Start with the main market street, check the little outlets one by one and dive into the one that attracts you most.
Check carefully the labels on clothes or other items, with little practice you will become fluent in distinguishing real vintage from fake.
Don’t forget to negotiate!