Markets & Festivals
Fare La Spesa ~ Doing The Shopping
Going shopping in Italy, or fare la spesa, is a daily social event, and there are a number of ways to do it. Italians shop by the day; buying bread, fresh cheese, pasta, fruit, vegetables, meats, fish & poultry, and their relationships with local shopkeepers, and purveyors run deep. From marketplace vendors to local butchers, fishermen and cheese makers, these sellers of fine seasonal products know their regulars by name. Not only will they save you a loaf of fresh baked pane integral, wood-burning brick oven baked wheat bread, but they will also pass along the day’s news while sharin with you a taste of. The local market is not only a place for buying groceries, but a meeting place to socialize and exchange a buongiorno, good day or a buon pranzo, good lunch.
Ai Mercati ~ At The Market
And if shopping at your favorite little market is not enough, then head to the outside mercati. Weekly mercati, fill every small town and village throughout the week with baskets of seasonal fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, olives, cheese, olive oils, breads, wines, honey, herbs & spices, and more. Stands are set uniformly showcasing fresh produce, while animated vendors shout out their special of the day.
Sagra ~ Food Festivals
Italians never seem to run out of things to celebrate about, and a sagra, a local festival celebrating a particular food, is just that. There are endless sagras throughout Italy celebrating season’s first porcini mushroom to Savigno’s most expensive tartufo, truffle. Prizes are awarded for the best fiori di zucca, squash flower, while Rome celebrated the famous carciofi, artichoke.
