Mercato Centrale

Florence's great market hall

The Mercato Centrale sits in the middle of the market district of San Lorenzo & San Marco and is the city's central market hall. The airy cast-iron and glass building was built between 1870 and 1874 to plans by Giuseppe Mengoni and opened in 1874 for the International Agricultural Exhibition, the same architect also designed the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Worth knowing before you go: the hall is essentially two separate operations under one roof. Downstairs a traditional fresh-produce market, upstairs a modern food court, each with its own operator, its own website and different opening hours.

The fresh-produce market on the ground floor

The ground floor (piano terra) holds the historic market where locals still do their shopping. The stalls sell fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, cheese, cured meats and Tuscan specialities. This is about fresh produce and market bustle, not about seating. This part is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 15:00 and Saturday until 17:00; it is closed on Sundays. If you want to see everyday Florentine life, come in the morning when the stalls are fully stocked.

The food court on the upper floor

The upper floor (primo piano) reopened as a food court in April 2014 to mark the hall's 140th anniversary, a project by Umberto Montano and the Human Company. Across roughly 3,000 m², more than twenty stalls and botteghe sit side by side, along with a bar, restaurant and pizzeria. The offering ranges from fresh pasta, pizza and truffle dishes to Florentine steak and lampredotto, the tripe sandwich that is a classic piece of street food here. You pay at each stall and eat at shared communal tables. This part is open daily from 9:00 to 23:00 and closes only on 25 December, making it an easy option in the evening too, when restaurant kitchens elsewhere are only just opening.

Visiting & practicalities

• Admission is free. You only pay for what you eat or buy; the official websites don't publish fixed price lists.
• No booking is needed for the open seating areas upstairs, it's first come, first served. Only the pizzeria and the restaurant take table reservations.
• Best time: it gets busy and lively around lunchtime, good for atmosphere, less so for finding a free table. If you prefer it quieter, come in the early afternoon or evening, once only the food court is open.
• Allow 45 to 90 minutes to wander both floors and grab something to eat.

The well-known San Lorenzo leather and souvenir market spreads out around the hall, and the Medici Chapels sit right behind the neighbouring basilica. That makes it easy to combine the market with a visit to the Medici Chapels. For more on Florentine food and where to try it, see the guide Food & Drink in Florence.