Mercato Centrale: the brand new first floor

This year the city of Florence had a very important event: the re-opening of our beloved Mercato Centrale’s first floor!
Here it is the official page http://mercatocentralefirenze.wordpress.com (unfortunately it is just in Italian language…)

The Mercato Centrale is in a top location: very close to the Duomo and to the Santa Maria Novella train station.
Here you will find few information about the market’s history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercato_Centrale_ (Florence)

During the past 15 years, we could visit just the ground floor of the market, because the first floor was under restoration. The ground floor was and still is a place where fruits, spices, any sort of Italian food specialities were sold.

Not only: one of the most genuine Italian food restaurant, da Nerbone,  and other 2 or 3 fast food venues (you can visit the page http://www.personalconciergeflorence.com/food-restaurants/fast-food-and-bars/ in order to have more information about da Nerbone) are located on the ground.

Mercato Centrale: the brand new first floor

The inauguration of the first floor happened during of the month of April. I was able to visit it just on early June.

I went there a very early afternoon and unfortunately I didn’t have time to try the food upstairs, but what I found was an apparently nice experience.

First of all I have to say it’s always open: 7 days per week, 365 days per year, from 10.00 to 12.01 am. It has 500 seats and it’s on two levels.

There are two entrances, stairs and staircases to get on the first floor. Once upstairs, you will find a nice, sunny location, pretty well restored and an alternation of shops and restaurant.

There is an ice-cream shop, a bakery, a pizzeria, a pasta shop, restaurants for pasta or for meat, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant close to a vegetable shop. There is a wine and a fish shop. The prices are medium high and the quality at first sight seems to be good.

If you are in a hurry Sunday and all the supermarkets in town are closed, you can find a small Eataly branch…there are also: a bank, a book shop and a Fiorentina soccer team shop.

A couple of interesting events are: the cooking class and the wine tasting class. Very well arranged and in their own well-furnished areas. I think it worth to try them!

Really, I found going inside there you won’t miss anything!

On the top floor there are tables and chairs to eat in a very nice setting.

 

Another good initiative is the delivery service.
You can buy all the food, wine and oil you want and the delivery service will keep it directly to your hotel/residence… or maybe send the package directly to your home!