Shopping at an Italian market like a local comes down to four habits: say buongiorno before anything else, let the stallholder choose and weigh the produce, ask for amounts in etti (100 grams) or by the piece, and buy what is in season. In Florence, the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio is open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from October its stalls fill with porcini, chestnuts and the first new olive oil of the year.
This article covers where Florentines buy their food, what to say at the stall, how to pay, and what to look for in October and November.
Andiamoci!
Last reviewed: October 6, 2026.
Where Do Florentines Shop for Food?
Most residents shop at a neighborhood market, and in Florence the best known is Sant’Ambrogio.
The Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio stands in Piazza Ghiberti, a short walk east of Santa Croce. It opened in 1873 in an iron and glass hall designed by Giuseppe Mengoni, the architect of the Mercato Centrale. Fruit and vegetable stalls line the outside of the building, while butchers, cheesemongers and a small trattoria work inside. The market is open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed on Sundays (Firenze Made in Tuscany).
Smaller morning markets in Piazza Santo Spirito and Piazza delle Cure run on the same Monday to Saturday pattern. The Mercato delle Cascine is different: it opens only on Tuesday mornings, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., along Viale Lincoln in the Cascine park, and it sells clothes and household goods alongside food (Eventi in Toscana). The T1 tram stops at Cascine.
The macellaio Luca Menoni is a standout at Sant’Ambrogio. You can’t miss it: up the market stairs, first on the left. They carry everything imaginable, keep a chef’s table upstairs for foodies in the know, and supply their hamburger stand across the aisle. If you’re lucky enough to get an upstairs table, get your food from the dumbwaiter when your order is called, and bus your table when you’re done!
Why Does Everyone Say Buongiorno First?
At an Italian market stall the greeting comes before the order, every time.
At an Italian market, walking up to a stall and naming what you want without a greeting is rude. A buongiorno on arrival and a grazie, buona giornata on leaving are enough, and stallholders remember the customers who use them. Buongiorno works until early afternoon, which at a market means all day.
Most market stalls in Florence have no ticket machine. The stallholder keeps track of who arrived when, and customers keep track too. When a small crowd has gathered, Florentines ask chi è l’ultimo? (“who’s last?”) and then wait for that person to be served.
Quantities at an Italian market are given in etti, in kilos or by the piece. One etto is 100 grams, so due etti di prosciutto is 200 grams, and mezzo chilo is half a kilo. The phrases below cover almost every exchange at the stall.
| Italian | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Buongiorno | Good morning | On arrival at the stall |
| Chi è l’ultimo? | Who’s last in line? | When several people are waiting and there is no ticket |
| Un etto di… | 100 grams of… | Cheese, cured meats, olives |
| Mezzo chilo di… | Half a kilo of… | Fruit and vegetables |
| Per stasera | For tonight | So the stallholder picks fruit that is ripe now |
| Posso assaggiare? | May I taste? | Cheese, olives, sometimes fruit |
| Basta così, grazie | That’s all, thanks | When your order is complete |
| Quanto le devo? | What do I owe you? | When it is time to pay |
Can You Touch the Fruit?
At a market stall the stallholder selects the produce, and customers never handle it.
At an Italian fruit and vegetable stall, picking up a peach to test it is the one habit that draws a reaction. The stallholder selects, bags and weighs the produce. Customers point and say how much they want.
The way to get good fruit is to say when you plan to eat it. Ask for pears per stasera and they will be ripe tonight. Ask for them per giovedì and they will be firmer. Stallholders take pride in this judgment, and it is usually better than anything a customer can tell by squeezing.
Supermarkets work differently. There, customers serve themselves, but they are expected to put on the thin plastic gloves provided next to the produce bags before touching anything, and weighing everything and affixing the sticker before they check out.
The market is often where a new neighborhood starts to feel like home. If you are still planning the move itself, our relocation services page explains how we help clients settle in Florence.
What Should You Buy at the Market in the Fall?
October and November bring porcini, chestnuts and the new season’s olive oil to Tuscan markets.
1. Porcini. Wild porcini appear on Florentine stalls in early fall, usually in shallow wooden crates. Wild mushrooms sold to the public in Italy must first be checked by the mycological inspectorate of the local health authority (Ispettorato Micologico of the ASL) or by a registered mycologist, under Presidential Decree 376/1995 and, in Tuscany, article 21 of Regional Law 16/1999 (Azienda USL Toscana sud est). Tuscany’s local health authorities also offer free edibility checks on mushrooms that residents forage themselves (Azienda USL Toscana nord ovest).
2. Chestnuts. Tuscans distinguish between castagne, the ordinary chestnut, and marroni, the larger and sweeter fruit of grafted trees. The best-known local variety is the Marrone del Mugello IGP, grown in the hills north of Florence. It is harvested by hand in October and November and goes on sale fresh from October 5 (Ufficio Turismo del Mugello). Roasted chestnuts, called bruciate in Florence, are sold hot in paper cones through the colder months.
3. New olive oil. The Tuscan olive harvest runs mainly through October and November, and the first oil from the mill is sold as olio nuovo. It is bright green, with a bitter and peppery finish, and the color moves toward yellow over the following months (Consorzio Olio Toscano IGP). Oil labeled Toscano IGP must be grown, pressed and bottled in Tuscany. Tuscans pour olio nuovo raw on toasted bread rubbed with garlic, the fettunta.
Other fall produce worth looking for includes cavolo nero (Tuscan kale, at its best after the first cold nights), persimmons (cachi), pumpkins and the last of the grapes. Many of the same foods are celebrated at village sagre in the same weeks, which we covered in Festivals and Sagre Worth Planning Around.
At a Tuscan market, what is piled highest is usually what is in season, and what is in season is usually the cheapest thing on the stall.
How Do You Know Where the Produce Comes From?
Every crate of fresh fruit and vegetables must show its country of origin.
EU Delegated Regulation 2023/2429, in force since January 1, 2025, requires the country of origin to be shown for fresh fruit and vegetables sold to consumers (EUR-Lex). At a market stall this appears on the small price card in each crate, next to the price per kilo.
Within Italy, Tuscan stallholders often add nostrale (“ours”) to produce grown locally, and some farmers who sell their own crops write the name of the farm or the village. When in doubt, asking da dove viene? (“where does it come from?”) is a normal question and gets a straight answer.
How Do You Pay at a Market Stall?
Cards are accepted by law, but small notes and coins make market mornings easier.
Since June 30, 2022, Italian sellers, market stallholders included, face a fine of €30 plus 4% of the transaction if they refuse a card payment, under article 18 of Decree-Law 36/2022 (Confcommercio).
Cash still moves faster for a few euros of lettuce and lemons, and stallholders appreciate exact change early in the morning, when their float is small. Carrying €20 in coins and small notes avoids most awkward moments. Bringing your own bag helps too: since January 1, 2018, lightweight produce bags in Italy must be compostable and cannot be given away free (Law 123/2017), so each one costs a few cents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions newcomers ask most about Florence’s markets.
1. What time should I go to the market? Early. Sant’Ambrogio opens at 7 a.m. and stalls start packing up well before the 2 p.m. close, so the widest choice is in the first hours of the morning.
2. Can I bargain at an Italian food market? Not for food. Prices must be displayed by law under article 14 of Legislative Decree 114/1998, and haggling over vegetables is not done. Regular customers are sometimes given a handful of parsley or a rounded-down total as a courtesy.
3. Is Sant’Ambrogio open on Sundays? No. Sant’Ambrogio and the neighborhood markets close on Sundays and public holidays.
4. Do stallholders speak English? Some do, but a few words of Italian go further. A buongiorno, a number and a pointed finger will get you through your first visit.
Know someone about to move to Florence? Share this article with them. A few words at the market stall make the first weeks in a new city much easier.
This briefing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contact us for advice specific to your situation.
