Open Air Markets - The Best Way to Shop for Groceries in Italy

Whenever you think about the open air markets in Italy, all that comes to your mind is the fresh aroma of grounded herbs, exotic spices, fresh vegetables and seasonal fruits. However, there is much more you can experience in Italy that is not available in any other part of the planet. Get ready to explore what the Italians have to offer.

The flora of Italy boasts an incredible variety of fruits and vegetables. A visit to a produce market or local outdoor markets in Italy will be an unforgettable experience for you as a tourist.

From the northern Alps to southern Sicily it's always a pleasure to shop in the streets of any Italian town or city. Use of fresh produce has always been the hallmark of Italian cuisine. Italian cuisine is also seasonal with utmost priority placed on the use of local fresh, green and aromatic produce.

Some of the popular open air Markets in Italy

Frutta e Verdura, Milan

Frutta e Verdura is the fruit and vegetable market in Italy. This market is filled with organic produce, fresh cheese, baked snacks and all other sorts of native products. Here in the outdoor markets of Italy, the items are priced by the metric system by one kilogram, which is around 2.2 pounds.

Mercato di Mezzo, Bologna

Bologna is rightly called as the food Capital of Italy. Mercato di Mezzo offers more than fruits and vegetables; there are herbs and spices, beans, olive oil, pasta, honey, wine, cheeses, soaps, and more - all organic and handmade. There are a few affluent restaurants and grocery stores that serve authentic Italian food and traditional wine.

Porta Palazzo, Turin

The Porta Palazzo market is a melting pot of civilizations, traditions and cultures that liven up Turin. It is also Europe's largest open air market where you can find just about anything. Apart from the produce arriving from every region of Italy and specialties from all over the world, you can also shop for shoes, clothing, household items, toys, and a lot more.

Mergellina district, Naples/Napoli

Napoli the birthplace of pizza, holds an indisputable position in the culinary world. Engage in some street fare to get the real Italian cuisine. Since Napoli is coastal district, seafood and vegetables feature in almost every cuisine. Also known for its eateries and wine shops, this outdoor market in Italy is the place to get the best Italian food at great prices.

Italy has always been known as a place that is rich in cultural heritage and classic architecture. It also has the best open air markets in all of Europe. Everything produced and sold here are fresh, organic and safe. Pack your bags to explore and experience open air markets of Italy with PeriiloTours.com.

Italy has always been known as a place that is rich in cultural heritage and classic architecture. It also has the best open air markets in all of Europe. Pack your bags to explore and experience Outdoor Markets in Italy with PerilloTours.com

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Things to See and Do in Italy

Pompeii

Before it was buried by a cataclysmic eruption from Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii was a spectacular city with Roman temples and an amphitheatre. It was an important pathway for goods that arrived by sea. Today, it is an important site for tourists, who can see fascinating glimpses of Pompeii's final hours, frozen in time. The "Garden of Fugitives" for example, is a collection of 13 plaster casts of people trying to flee from the suffocating dust and rocks. Many of the streets and houses of ancient Pompeii are intact, so visitors are able to wander around the fascinating remnants of a bakery, a brothel, temples, mosaics, the aqueduct and an amphitheatre. Taking in these well-preserved sight's will certainly transport you back to how it must have been.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

This leaning bell tower was not intentionally built this way, but it has made it one of the most photographed sites in the world. It was built on shallow stone with a dense clay mixture for the foundations. When the tower began to lean, the construction of it was halted for 100 years, in the hope that the mud would settle down. 4 more floors were added to compensate for the tilt, but evidently, this made no difference. At least it won't matter so much if you don't hold the camera straight!

Sassi di Matera

The Sassi di Matera, or "stones of Matera", is a cluster of archaic cave dwellings, thought to be where some of the first people to set foot in Italy lived. Come and study the sun-baked caves of Matera, which is apparently the only place in the world where the same houses are inhabited 9,000 years later. This largely dilapidated town bears similarities to the ancient sites of Jerusalem, so many films, such as "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), and "The Nativity Story" (2006), have been shot here.

Vatican City

Enter one of the most visually stimulating cities in the world. With wonders such as St Peter's Basilica, with its double colonnade and circular courtyard, it is a grand sight to behold. The Basilica is a renowned piece of Renaissance architecture which Michelangelo and Bernini have both contributed their skills to. The Sistine Chapel is a must for those visiting the Vatican City. It is famous for its mind-blowingly beautiful frescos which enshroud every inch of the interior upper walls, depicting episodes from the lives of Moses and Christ. A visit here will leave you feeling uplifted and overwhelmed.

This article was written by Helen Withington on behalf ok A&K Villas who offer a fine selection of luxury villas with pools including top rated Italy Villas

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