Where Florentines actually shop for lunch

Before the city wakes

At seven in the morning, the stalls around Piazza Ghiberti are still being unpacked. Crates of artichokes from the hills above Fiesole, wheels of pecorino, bunches of cavolo nero tied with string. Nobody is in a hurry, and everybody seems to know each other.

This is where Florentines come to shop: grandmothers with folding trolleys, chefs choosing the day’s vegetables, a waiter collecting bread for the trattoria round the corner. There are no menus in four languages, only handwritten prices and a lot of conversation.

What to buy

Whatever looks best that morning. In spring, small purple artichokes and the first broad beans, eaten raw with young pecorino. In autumn, porcini, chestnuts and new olive oil, so green it is almost peppery.

Ask before you touch, buy a little from several stalls, and don’t be surprised if someone tells you how to cook it.

Lunch at the counter

By noon, the market’s small eateries fill up. Order whatever is on the board, a plate of ribollita, tripe or fresh pasta, and eat standing at the counter or squeezed onto a shared table. It’s quick, honest and very good.

Ask for a glass of the house red and take your time. In Florence, lunch is still a small ritual, and the market is where it begins.