TRAVEL COLUMN: Antique Shopping in Parma, Italy at the Mercanteinfiera with The Antiques Diva

WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog

Thanks for stopping by, and since 2010 I've been sharing my passion for interior design, history, art, entertaining, travel & fashion. I am an interior designer, textile designer and writer living and working in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island. My musings have taken me to international design, art, antique and epicurean events. I have been asked to write on these subjects for magazines and online media, and I also regularly host events and talk on these subjects. I am grateful to have been listed as the #1 top design blog, blogs to watch, top design blogs and named and awarded Rising Star of Design by the IFDA NY industry organization. Please feel free to reach out to our team at rootcellardesigns@gmail.com -Tamara

Posted by Tamara Stephenson October 03, 2016

TRAVEL COLUMN: Antique Shopping in Parma, Italy at the Mercanteinfiera with The Antiques Diva

Fresh off the Plane From Italy,

We share Highlights From The Mercanteinfiera Antiques Show in Parma

Parma, Italy

(right) smitten with these
Louis Vuitton trunks circa 1908;
(left) nabbed these Italian plates

Last weekend, I was part of a group of interior designers invited to attend and shop at this annual antique market which takes place in the culinary capital of Italy, the

Emilia-Romagna region of Parma. It was certainly a benefit to us that the Mercanteinfiera is where the finest prosciutto and parmigiana cheese is made. Parma also boasts beautiful, historic Renaissance and Romanesque architecture.

The folks from the Market invited us, and we quickly realized this show is a secret source for many industry designers and dealers. Our first day was exciting, and we were invited to shop in the wee hours of the morning as the vendors were unloading their trucks and setting up the booths, and days before they opened to the public. We took in the awe-inspiring and lovely Italian chaos--the magic that ensued with bicycles whirling by, movers hauling furniture with cigarettes in hand, and a slew of friendly dogs amidst all the antiques. The whirlwind experience is not for the faint of heart, but it is important to note that magic happens in this chaos and soon these booths were set up like quaint design shops. We ventured forth walking aisle to aisle taking in the mixture of styles and time periods of antiques and vintage furniture, accessories, art, lighting and jewelry, and noting that many designers were buying right off the truck so the goods never even made it to the booth. Some in our group bought enough to fill their own freight container, then spent the latter part of the weekend working out the administrative details of international freight with the on-site shipping companies. All in all, the general consensus from our group was the prices were quite good, better than back in the States, and if able to navigate the international shipping, was well worth the travel.

Over the next couple of months, we will bring you highlights of the talents we traveled with, profiling their shops, designs and sharing their sources with our readers. Ciao!

Happy Nesting

XO Tamara