Bologna hosts a wide range of markets, from the standard supermarkets, to local food markets, and the periodiic flea markets. Over our four weeks we tried to hit as many as we could.
Tuday CONAD – a fancy supermarket in the old town with lots of preprepared items. A little more expensive, but quite clean, and the generic goods were well priced. The wine selection looked good too. I especially liked their fresh sliced deli meats – Bresaola and Prosciutto – which were both excellent. We both like their coconut pineapple drink and they had the best orange juice too.
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Pam – Our local store, just two blocks away (and across a major street where we got to know the light timing very well), we were in here a lot. They had a good selection of produce, meats, yogurts, and an okay wine selection. Almost always busy, self-checkout was often a time-saver.
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Mercato Elle Erbe – the closest local market to us, a lot of shops seemed to be closed during the week, but we did go to one of the center veg stalls a few times, and the bakery by the entrance was very good.
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Quadrilatero market – The central quad market was a zoo with lots of tour groups and although there were many produce sellers, only a few had visible prices. The fresh pasta seemed a bit cheaper than other specialty shops and there were lots of wrapped items for taking things in home in luggage and other tourist buys like balsamic vinegar and dried pastas.
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Mercato Ritrovato – only open on Wednesday evenings, this market was a disappointment. The beer place I wanted to try wasn’t there and when we arrived about an hour after opening, things were just getting set up.
Mercato del Novale Slow Food Bologna – located in the south-eastern corner of the city on Sunday mornings, they have about 20 stalls. Each had a line of front of them as people worked their way down the row. I found a spritzy rosé for 2.50€, and browsed the other stalls too. Lots of families with kids and dogs out on the day we went.
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Tuesday Flower Market – only on Tuesday mornings (as the name would imply) in front of Basilica di San Francesco. Small but had a nice range of live plants and cut flowers for sale. We came home with some small sunflowers and statice, considering our vase options were limited in the apartment!
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Mercato Albani – Bolognina – a surprising number of butchers and a decent number of produce spots. This area had a few murals too. We strolled through here while waiting for the cleaner to finish with our apartment.
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Antiques Market – located in San Stefano square once a month. There were tons of vendors, with wares including old books, records and CD, toys, china sets and lots more. Loads of people browsing and enjoying the sunshine.
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Piazza della 8 Agosto Flea Market – this market takes over the piazza with hundreds of tables featuring clothes, fabrics, kitchen and other gadgets. Our favorite tables had bins heaped with random stuff for 1€ and 3€ each. You could dig through the piles to find things, like USB cables, or small cutting board (we came home with that one!) Another spot had socks at a good price, so we each got a pack.
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