Shopping and Food Market Tour

The San Lorenzo market is undoubtedly the biggest market in Florence with the largest variety of goods. Here you can find souvenirs, leather goods, clothes, bags, shoes, scarves and more. The market is as markets go--a cheap and cheerful place for shopping, although definitely not the best quality items (and not always a bargain), but popular with tourists as much as Italians.

If you're looking for a leather jacket, this market is probably the place you can find them the cheapest. You may find a variety of prices, colors and styles. Know that many of the stalls have shops themselves where they may take you to see more variety. You can bargain at any shop as well as the stores themselves. Keep in mind that the quality can vary widely in the market.

This market is situated just north of the Duomo and runs the length of Via Ariento from the church of San Lorenzo to Via Nazionale.
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Hours
Daily 9am-7pm

On Via Ariento is also the Central Market--an indoor market held in a Liberty-style building built in the late 19th century. It has been Florence's main fruit, vegetable and food market since then. Today you can still find an array of the city's butchers, delicatessens and bakeries, as well as some of Florence's best-loved snack spots. Nerbone, with its cafeteria-style counter, is one of the city's best places to get a panino with porchetta (roasted suckling pig) or lampredotto (boiled cow's stomach). You'll find it busy with locals at any time.

Stop at Perini for an incredible selection of cheeses, cold cuts and the best homemade mostarde (sweet and spicy fruit jams made to pair with cheese). If you want to stay local, try a Tuscan pecorino (sheeps' milk cheese) as opposed to Parmigiano (from the north) or mozzarella (from the south). Stay away from balsamic vinegar and try a Tuscan olive oil instead--fruity, peppery and flavorful, great for using raw on salads, bruschetta or grilled meat and vegetables. Try Tuscan prosciutto (saltier than Parma ham) or finocchiona, a wide Tuscan salami flavored with fennel seeds.
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Hours
Monday-Saturday 8am-2pm
Sunday Closed

The Porcellino Market is named after the bronze statue of a wild boar at the southern end of the loggia (rub his nose for good luck).

It is also known as the Mercato Nuovo, the new market, although the Renaissance loggia that hosts the market is 500 years old. This space always has held a market of some sort and in the 19th century was actually known as the Straw Market for the straw hats and goods that were sold here.

Today you will find a selection of goods similar to the San Lorenzo Market but perhaps ever so slightly more selective. Leather bags feature prominently, as do souvenirs, scarves and other leather goods such as belts and wallets. It is smaller than the San Lorenzo Market, occupying just the space of the loggia and is conveniently located around the corner from Piazza Signoria, one of Florence's most important squares.

There is a huge selection of leather handbags of all shapes, sizes and colors, generally of good quality, as well as belts, which can be cut to size while you wait.

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Location: Via Por Santa Maria
The market is an address in itself as well as a cultural landmark, it is also known as the "Loggia del Mercato Nuovo".

Heading to the eastern side of the city, and to an entirely different type of market, Piazza dei Ciompi houses the city's daily flea market.

This is the ultimate place for the curious collector. Here you can find not only antique or second-hand furniture but also books, photographs, kitchen items, old postcards and even clothes that all make unique souvenirs. It is open from Monday through Saturday but the last Sunday of the month is the best time to head down this way, when the entire piazza and the surrounding streets expand into the best flea market of the city.

Take a break at one of the many lovely bakery-cafes on Via Pietrapiana or at Café Sant Ambrogio. Plenty of wines by the glass make this a place that locals like to come to in the evening for an aperitif but it is also a favorite at lunch or for a midmorning coffee.

Note that many of the stalls will close for a couple of hours around lunchtime, reopening usually at 3:30pm.
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Daily market
Monday-Saturday
Monthly market
Last Sunday of month is the ideal time to go.

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A note on hours: the shops are all individually-operated and therefore have varying hours, but a "general" timeframe for the markets are 9am - 7pm Monday through Saturday (note that some places close for lunch between 12.30pm-3:30pm usually). Sundays observe the same general opening and closing hours, but are open all day.

Sant'Ambrogio market is the locals' choice since it is in an area that is easier for residents to reach than the Central Market.

Smaller than the Central Market, the Sant'Ambrogio market has high-quality food products with the butchers, delicatessens, fish mongers, bakeries, etc., indoors and the fruit and vegetable vendors circling the outside. Here you also can find clothes, household goods, plants and flowers and plenty of good bargains not aimed at tourists but for residents.

Piazza Santo Spirito is the heart of Florence's Oltrarno District and is just steps away from the Ponte Vecchio. Known for its alternative feel and artisan residents, the piazza hosts the city's popular daylong monthly markets each second and third Sunday of the month.

There is also a local market every morning from Monday to Saturday where you can find household items, clothes and local fruit and vegetables. But it's the monthly markets that draw the crowds here.

The second Sunday of the month hosts a wonderful antique market, where a mixture of handmade and antique goods fill the piazza, along with local street food vendors, while the third Sunday of the month is a local market focused on organic food and goods such as knitwear and handmade items.

This is a great place to pick up some unique souvenirs, mingle with the locals and see a different side of Florence. The many bars, cafes and restaurants in the piazza make it a lively stop for a snack, whether a sandwich at the favorite Gustapanino (in the piazza at no. 2r), a gelato or an aperitif. The street vendors at the market offer things like porchetta (roasted suckling pig) and necci--chestnut pancakes, made to order.
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Hours:
Daily market is Monday-Saturday: 8am until 1pm (generally speaking, but some pack up earlier or later).
The Sunday markets are all day markets, 8am -7pm.
Monthly markets
Second, third Sunday