Mercado Centrale

One of our highlights in Firenze is not the art galleries or Ponte Vecchio or even the Duomo. It’s the central food market, Mercado Centrale. Surrounded by street stall hawking leathers and t-shirts, it can easily go unnoticed. But if you’re any kind of foodie or have an interest in Italian culture, do not miss it.

The Mercado is a perfect market. Indoor, very comfortable, even reasonably quiet. Simply a great place to go shopping. Fruit and veggies on the second floor. Meats and cheese predominate the first floor. It’s a shock to my limited American diet, the variety of stuff they have. Wines and vinegars, sure. Pasta made on premises. Dried and cured meats of dizzying variety. A 20 pound stack of pig’s ears here, beef tongue there. Whole rabbits and chicken’s heads. Liver, tripe and heart. Whole eels. Tails from who-knows-what beast. And I’m not asking.

Claudio at the coffee bar recommended his favorite shop for cheese and sausage. We gladly procured a kilo of aged parmeggiano reggiano. Not one or two, but three years old. Score! Toss in some piccante sausage and we’re done. Our only suggestion is to do your meat shopping at the start of your trip. Unless you’re prepared to beat off US customs with that two-foot sausage, they’ll take it away from you. Now we know.