Mini petrol cooker (15 euros)

José Cunha is 67 years old and every week, almost religiously, he travels from Rio Tinto to take part in Vandoma. It's been like this since 1982, ‘when it was still held in the Cathedral’, he tells us. Today he keeps to the tradition, ‘more as a hobby’ and as a way of getting rid of ‘the things we have at home’. Judging by the stalls, they are many, varied and at prices that don't frighten the most unsuspecting. With 20 euros in his pocket, the suggestion is simple: ‘this very old mini petrol cooker that still works’. A miniature to fulfil urgent needs.

Antique pocket watch (5 euros)

Counting the months, one by one, until you reach the magic number: 67 years and 7 months. ‘I'm 65, I'm looking forward to it.’ Adelino Barros, who lives in Porto, is looking forward to his long-awaited retirement, but until then, he's making Vandoma the place where he ‘earns the income he needs for the rest of his days’. He also goes there ‘to socialise’, to share stories with passers-by. Like the wind-up clocks and battery clocks he sells at attractive prices. ‘And younger people are increasingly looking for pocket watches’, like the one Adelino chose for this article.

Traditional clay pot (10 euros)

At the age of 68, Conceição Barbosa, from Arcozelo, still has the strength to get up early every Saturday to revisit the friendships she made in Vandoma. This has been the case for 15 years. Together with her husband, she brings the items she doesn't use, which are overstuffed in the house, and sells them to those who promise to give them a new life. ‘I keep coming here because I still make a few bob to help with the household expenses,’ she admits. From clothes to fashion accessories, from more or less useful objects, Conceição tells us that this clay pot, ‘ideal for serving sangrias in the summer’, is a good bargain. And we believe her.

Original tapes by Portuguese authors (1 euro)

There's music for all tastes on the floor. In Portuguese, much of it traditional, ‘but without being pimba’. There are names like the fado singer Fernanda Maria, the forgotten Eduardo Alípio from Porto and the famous Marante, an icon of the younger generations. ‘I started at Vandoma even before the 25th of April, in 1972, I was a catraia.’ Maria Ribeiro, 69, is that typical figure who has earned a captive place at the fair. She still remembers the time when the younger ones used to go to the fair ‘to get a little extra money for their expenses’. Today she never misses one. ‘Because I love it here, I love flea markets, I love the people’. And she loves the music, which she believes should never be forgotten.

Manual coffee mill (15 euros)

The stories of those who come together every Saturday in the easternmost part of the city could build the identity of this fair. Fernando Familiar's is yet another. He had a company that closed down and, out of economic necessity, decided to give Vandoma a try after his wife paved the way. ‘I had old things, surplus left over from the company, and I started bringing them here,’ he says. Over time, he gained a taste for old objects and started buying them to sell again. ‘It's enough to keep us going from day to day.’ He “offers” us a manual coffee mill for 15 euros, a tool in good condition because, he admits, ‘what's manual never breaks down’.

Vintage copper lamp (20 euros)

The old style is in fashion, say the experts, and the secret is to mix it with a more modern tone. Maria Brito, 52, has products in her shop that fit this trend. Without beating about the bush, she confesses that she found in Vandoma ‘the way out to pay the household bills, at a time when she was in great need’. Today, with 16 years of guaranteed weekly presence, you'll find her among objects from our grandmothers' time, which have become kitsch and modern at the same time. Like this copper lamp with ivory, which represents the strength of women.

Fado music album by Artur Batalha (5 euros)

For 30 years, Domingos Costa, who is a lively and surprising 77 years old, has had a ritual: ‘at 5am [on Saturdays] we get together in the café above for breakfast before heading downstairs’. Born in Braga, he left it for the city further south a long time ago. He lives in Porto and doesn't recognise himself without Vandoma. Always in the business of selling vinyl records, she looks for rare material that she then resells to new music lovers. "Is it worth it? Well, it's always worth it," he admits. If only for the socialising, for the regular customers he has educated with the music he shares. As is the case with Artur Batalha's music legacy, which he chose for this article.