The Turin Piazza della Repubblica is a large square that was right around the corner from our apartment. Bisected by trams, it is a bustling spot. At night it is a large parking lot, and each morning it is transformed into the Mercato di Porta Palazzo with hundreds of vendors. In fact, it is said to be the largest outdoor market in Europe. In addition, on Saturdays it hosts The Balon, an enormous flea market. Each market day is a truly remarkable transformation, complete with 10 foot tall piles of garbage that get cleared out nightly.

On a wet Monday morning we explored the outdoor fruit and vegetable market which had lots of fresh greens, tomatoes, and unique spots dedicated to mushrooms and dried beans. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but we dove in and purchased Brussels sprouts, zucchini, red pepper, lettuce, green lentils, and DOP cheese.

Later in the week we checked out the indoor market, Antica Tettoia dell’Orologio di Porta Palazzo, to pick up a nice ciabatta bread from stall 119. As a bonus, the indoor market is lit up at night.

We also checked out the Mercato Centrale Torino, which is mostly a large food court. On our first visit we grabbed takeaway focaccia, I got the sausage and potato, while Leandra had the sausage and mushroom variety, and on our last day we stopped for takeaway dinner.

Checking out the Piazza della Repubblica area is definitely recommended!