Every morning the city of Rome fills with markets; they are set up in every ‘quartiere’, and sell fresh local produce: everything from vegetable and fruit to meat, cheese, eggs and fish. Some markets are more famous than others: Rome’s most talked-about and prettiest one is called Campo de’ Fiori – located in the very heart of the city centre it offers a small but beautifully presented selection food, clothes, jewelry, and of course flowers. It’s charming, in a very Roman way, and a must-see for all first-time visitors to Rome. It’s mentioned in every guide book, and I don’t want to bore you with more facts and pictures.

Instead, today I want to let you in on a little secret: a market popularly known as Mercato di Vittorio. This establishment, over the years, has undergone immense transformations: not only in location, shifting from the main piazza to the large building of the former milk factory, but also in the type of produce it sells. Once a purely Italian, or rather Roman market it is now rightly called Rome’s “international market”. Chances are, no matter where in the world you are from or what cuisine you are thinking of tackling for dinner that night, you will find what you need at Vittorio.

Located between the metro stops Termini (Line A/B) and Vittorio (A), you can almost ‘smell’ your way to the market: delicious, exotic smells of spices, fruits and ready-to-eat food start tantalizing you long before you see its colorful stalls. The streets surrounding the market, incidentally, are also lined with excellent international food shops and restaurants.

We walked around the market and let our eyes feast on rare produce, impossible to find elsewhere in Rome, like plantain, bok choy and bitter gourd…

Opening times: Mon-Sat 7am – 2pm

by Ally Novgorodtseva