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If you decide to visit Liguria and its beauties, you couldn’t miss a food market experience, not only for the fresh local produce but also because in this markets you can find the authentic local life.

I often go to food markets, I think it’s more than a place where you buy food. In fact, the farmers market gives you an opportunity to meet the person who produced your food. You can ask that person tips, recipes and suggestions on how to best cook their product.

If you are a vacation renter, you have the chance to live directly part of this italian life by shopping in these food markets and then, prepare a meal in your vacation rental kitchen. But even if you don’t have a kitchen at your disposal you can still shop in Italian markets, just buying some bread or focaccia, some fruit, a piece of cheese, a bottle of good wine and water and organize a lovely picnic with your friends.

To experience a day in some food markets in Liguria, I prepared here below a list of tips about how to find out the ligurian market days and the enogastronomic events, which rules you “have to follow” to buy food in markets and of course, some market vocabulary words that can be used if you decide to buy local products.

Food markets days, enogastronomic events and sagre that take place in the Italian Riviera

In Genoa don’t miss the “Mercato Orientale“, a covered food market located in Via XX Settembre, Genoa’s main street. It opens from Monday to Saturday.

In Genoa every Monday and Tuesday in Piazza Palermo there is a general market, open from 7.30 am to 1.00 pm

In Genoa, every second weekend of the month, takes place in Piazza Matteotti the enogastronimic market “Sapori al Ducale”. You can find typical products coming from every italian region.

In the spring, the most notable enogastronomic events are:

the “World championships of Genoese pesto” made with a mortar and pestle, held in Genoa.

“Slowfish”, held every two years at the Genoa Exhibition centre.

The “Ligurian food and agriculture Fair“ (Salone dell’ agroalimentare) in the medieval town of Finalborgo.

During the summer season in La Spezia takes place the “Liguria da bere” event, followed in Autmn by the “Pesto e dintorni” festival in Lavagna and the “Olioliva” new olive oil festival in Imperia in November.

Some rules and market vocabulary to use in a food market

Arrive at the market when it first opens so you can have a chance for the best selection. Before buying be sure to preview the entire market, many vendors, in fact, sell the same things and you may select one over another because the price is more convenient.

Bring with you your personal shopping bag. Local people use to bring their own bags. If you don’t have shopping bags there is a small fee per bag.

Usually, the vendor gives you what you want and you don’t serve by yourself. This is because the vendor is sure that the merchanidise that is selling is good and you don’t need to worry about buying a bad product and due to a hygiene matter.

If you don’t know well italian language, here are some tips that can be useful when you buy in a food market.

When you approach a vendor you say “Buongiorno” or “Buonasera” (Good morning or Good evening) and then, start your food shopping experience using the words:

Chilo (a chilo is 2.2 pounds)

Etto (an etto is 100 grams, about a quarter of a pound). Plural is etti.

You can also deal with numbers “4 mele, perfavore” (4 apples, please)