In Rome, there are a plentiful of bancarelle (ban-kah-rel-leh)
These are makeshift stalls that could sell anything from clothes, cosmetics and accessories and sometimes even second hand stuff. They usually function in the morning till late afternoon and they are easy to spot because they seem to be quite out of place – cheerful, colourful stalls stark right next to the roadside.
Bancarelle are different compared to mercati (mer-kah-tee) as they are usually separated, located outside of the wet markets.
And you can also almost always find them outside of Metros, train stations and bus interchanges in Rome. One of the most well known bancarelle would be the weekend market at Porta Portese.
I like bancarelle because they tend to sell items for cheap, compared to items that you can find in regular shops. So it’s like a sale everyday! Although, you’d have to keep your eyes wide open and always compare prices, as this is not always true.
Personally, I don’t go for beauty items here because I feel a little dubious about the source and the expiry date. But that’s just me.
But most of the time, you could find some little treasures here like clothes and bags. I even saw a bancarella selling a smaller version of my cat bag. It was only 5 euro! You can imagine how much I was so tempted to get it. But I’m sticking to my “At least once a year” rule. i.e. If I don’t use it at least once in a year, it’s better not to get more 
I need to get this fixed though. I still love this bag and want to continue using it. But one of the side of the handle is torn. I wonder if there is a cobbler here who could do that for me?
Anyway, sometimes you’d find stuff that you probably won’t feel it. But sometimes you would. I recently got two top which I really really liked. This comfy cotton shirt :
And this rainbow striped one.
Yes. I’m totally molesting this cat.
Anyway, the only bad part is that unless you’ve got really thick skin and don’t mind trying out the clothes in public, you might not know if it fits you well or not. So I’ve yet to buy pants at this point of time.
Nevertheless, I got these top for 5 euro each! What a steal! 
Updated : Check out some of the outfits that I’ve created with the items that I’ve bought from some of the bancarelle around Rome!
So that cat also $5 euro? hahaha
Hahaha! No, the cat is priceless! It’ll be difficult to sell cats in bancarelle anyway since stuff there are always piled up. Piled up cats never end well :p
I recall that I used to go to the bancarelle in the centre of Bologna every Friday. You have to scan the prices first before getting the 1st purchase. Neither do I get any cosmetics there… seems like old stock and brands from don’t-know-where. There are certain things that you can’t find in regular shops too but you can find it here 🙂
Yes, you’re right! We need to scan the prices first because it’s not always true that the prices there are the best price. I saw a face cream once which is more expensive there. I’d prefer to wait for a sale in a farmacia or something :p
Is this the Italian daytime version of our pasar malam? <3 that bag!! So cute! 😀
I suppose so! But apart from it functioning only during daylight, it focuses mostly on selling items. There’s no games here, like in Pasar Malam.
I love the bag too! I got it a long time back at a bag sale in Singapore. Too bad the part where the handle is, is broken. I wish I knew anyone here who could repair it
Love the bag! So cute! If you want to try out the pants, why don’t you wear a skirt and then you can just sarong underneath ? Heh. Looks a lot like the flea markets that we have here. Looks superbly fun too.