Italy Part 2: Mercato Centrale

The Mercato Centrale is an indoor market in the heart of the city (as the name might suggest), packed with fresh produce, cheese, meat (with no part of the animals wasted!), fish, pasta, olive oils and more.  Not only a useful stop to pick up something to make for dinner (or eat right there at Nerbone (a lunch stall/counter), but also good for entertainment value. 

Entire pigs heads stare from behind glass, extensive selections of dried beans stretch out in seemingly endless bins, whole prosciuttos hang in clusters from the ceiling, and wheels of cheese are stacked deep and wide.

 The place is teeming with people -- not only tourists, like the rest of the city, but also with native Florentines, doing their daily shopping, catching up on gossip or gathering for lunch.  The entirety of the building seems to be a celebration of all things deliciously fresh and good to eat in Florence.

























They appear to be ready for lunch, no?


Check out the Mercato Centrale photoset to see what we ate for lunch, more interesting animal parts (beef cheek, anyone?), and other highlights of our two visits to the market.

Next post: The Ponte Vecchio

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