Antique Fair Arezzo

A History of the Arezzo Antique Fair

Many years ago, in the prime of his professional life, Ivan Bruschi gave life and form to the intuition that had always animated him, in which the love for antiques and art was best expressed, as well as his love for his city. On June 2, 1968, on the occasion of the Republic Day, the Antique Fair was born, the first event of its kind in Italy and still the largest today after many years without interruption in the dense monthly cadence between one edition and the next. Thus, after a period of abandonment and marginalization of the upper part of the city, also due to the bombings of the Second World War that had razed many buildings to the ground, the Antique Fair brought life back to Piazza Grande as well, which in the early 1960s had also been abandoned by its historic Saturday fruit and vegetable market.

In its conception and organization, the Aretine antique dealer Ivan Bruschi was inspired by the famous open-air markets of Portobello in London and the Flea Market in Paris. Encouraged by the growing success of the Antique Fair in the years to come, Bruschi also promoted a series of events that attracted the attention of the Italian and international public, consolidating the Arezzo market as the first in Italy. Step by step, thanks to the tireless enthusiasm and international contacts of its founder, the Fair made his city famous, visited by illustrious figures from politics, institutions, the world of entertainment and culture. Antiques were thus becoming a non-ephemeral component of Arezzo's economic activities and brought new life to the ancient foundations of the historic center, which reopened to shops, artisans and the progressive flourishing of activities. The legacy of the Antique Fair left by Ivan Bruschi has been welcomed by the Municipality of Arezzo, which carries on by investing energy and resources in the city's flagship event.