Mercato Centrale
Mercato Centrale is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Florence audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~60 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type market
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Florence Florence guide
About Mercato Centrale
Florence's magnificent 19th-century iron-and-glass covered market, with a ground floor of traditional Florentine food stalls and a buzzing upper-level food hall.
The Mercato Centrale is Florence's main covered food market, housed in a magnificent iron-and-glass structure designed by Giuseppe Mengoni (architect of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II) and inaugurated in 1874. The two-storey building occupies an entire city block between the churches of San Lorenzo and San Marco.
The ground floor is the traditional Florentine wholesale and retail market: butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, pasta makers, herb and spice stalls, tripe vendors, and fruit and vegetable dealers. The market trades here each morning from around 7am to 2pm. In 2014, an upper level, the Mercato Centrale Firenze, was opened as a food hall, with a dozen or more restaurateurs cooking to order, making it one of the most varied and appealing food destinations in the city. Products include fresh pasta, Florentine meat dishes, pizza, focaccia, oysters, and a well-stocked wine bar.
Did you know? The Mercato Centrale was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni, the same architect who designed the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, making it a sibling of one of the grandest covered arcades in Europe.
How long should you spend at Mercato Centrale?
Plan about ~60 min at Mercato Centrale. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Mercato Centrale worth visiting?
Mercato Centrale is one of the 42 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Florence, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Florence
Hear the story of Mercato Centrale
Preview the Florence tour free in the Gingerguide app.