Mercato Centrale

"Those who exit Florence’s central station, instead of following the mass tourism route towards the Duomo, turn sideways into the narrow Via Sant’Antonio, will reach in a few steps the city’s market district, the San Lorenzo district, “the Medici district”, a district rich in history and art. But it is also the district of the working classes, of street vendors, of low-cost pensions and of daily buying and selling, a popular district that surrounds the imposing Mercato Centrale, the city’s ancient covered market. Here life begins in the early morning, when the vendors open their stalls in Piazza San Lorenzo and display the wonderful world of Tuscan goods for buyers. The quiet district is then transformed into the vital center of Florence, a metropolitan caravanserai where the old and the new, the ephemeral and the sublime, the small and the big life mix in an incomparable way. In fact, “in Florence art and tripe are good neighbors”. The words of L. Borghese give a good idea of ​​Piazza San Lorenzo as we find it today with all its charm and the tradition that envelops the visitor who enters Via dell’Ariento and, leaving behind the magnificence of the Basilica dei Medici, almost fails to see the entire imposing structure that hides behind the colorful multi-ethnic stalls. The square has not always been like this, which is in fact the result of an urban reorganization that took place in 1866, in view of Florence as the capital of Italy that would have brought lustre and splendor to the Florentine streets. The construction of the New Central Market is at the forefront of a series of initiatives aimed at the building renewal of the city promoted by the municipality in the second half of the 19th century, when, with the expropriation of the land of the Camaldoli of San Lorenzo by the municipality, the architect Mengoni was commissioned to build the New Central Market."

"Florence's biggest market and a great place to include in a culinary walking tour. On the ground floor you'll find the historical market with some of the best quality products you can find in Florence, butchers, salumerie, fishmongers, produce vendors and more. This is a great place to get groceries and learn about the local cuisine, but this floor starts closing up around lunch-time and is closed on Sundays, so be sure to make some time for it! If you'd like to learn more about local food and the traditions around it, while stuffing your face until you just can't no more, enjoy a guided tour of the historical market with professional foodie Romina, linked below. ____________________________________ On the second floor, you'll find the modern part of the market, built about 10 years ago with stands with food from all over Italy and from all around the world - whatever you're in the mood for - whether that is a burger, pizza, wontons, or steak, you can find it here. There are also 2 different bars, plenty of tables to sit at, and it's open till midnight. "

"When people speak of the Mercato San Lorenzo, they mean both the outdoor leather and goods open air market as well as the indoor grocery market. The indoor maket is. also known as the Mercato Centrale.The downstairs is the old original market. The downstair market is open from 7-2pm,longer on Saturday and closed on Sunday. The upstairs was built after the 1966 flood and then redone recently and turned into an Artisan Food Court called "MERCATO CENTRALE" Owned by my friend Umberto Montana. He has opened several of them now in Rome, Milano and Torino. It is also restaurant dining, and is open from 10am until midnight daily except for Christmas. The open air leather and goods market is open all week from 8am until 8pm ( usually) There is a cooking school upstairs now for one day classes, run by the local language school, Lorenzo dei Medici. "