Markets in Rome. No matter whether weekly, farmer or flea market: markets are becoming more and more a popular attraction. Rome really has a lot to offer in this regard. The markets in Rome are really diverse, colorful and full of history – just like the city itself. In this article I will introduce you to the most beautiful markets in Rome, which will not only make your heart beat faster, but will also delight your taste buds. Because in addition to a few classics, such as the relatively well-known Campo de ’Fiori, Rome also has some surprises in terms of markets. So…on the markets, get set, go!

Markets in Rome: You shouldn’t miss these 7 markets

Pure Italy: a visit to the weekly market! The way to a man’s heart goes through his stomach! Whenever I am in Italy, I love shopping at the many weekly markets and then cooking something with the delicious products in my apartment or the Airbnb. The vegetables alone have a much more intense taste than I know from Germany. Not to mention sausage, cheese and the wine. Even as a layman you can cook delicious pasta dishes.

But there is another reason why I love visiting markets. Such a visit to the market takes you directly into the vibe of a city and is a perfect way to get in touch with the locals, to observe them and to get a glimpse of their cooking and eating habits. Nowhere else can you experience a country and its culture as directly as in a marketplace. Of course, this also applies to the Italian capital. Every market visit in Rome is a cultural and culinary experience and a way to literally enjoy the eternal city with all your senses! Betting?

1. Markets in Rome: The Campo de ’Fiori market

If you ask me, the market in Piazza Campo dei Fiori in Rome is the most picturesque and typical in the whole city. You can find it in the square of the same name. It’s one of the most beautiful squares in Rome, just a few steps from Piazza Navona. The market takes place every Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Flowers, fish and meat, spices, herbs as well as fruits and vegetables are offered at the market stalls, but also bags and handicrafts, gifts and souvenirs are sold.

The Campo de ’Fiori is definitely part of the Rome program for market lovers. Because it is not just a market place, but a place that captures the spirit and essence of the eternal city and makes it tangible like no other.

• Address: Piazza Campo de ‘Fiori, 00186 Rome
• Opening hours: Mon – Sat from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2. Markets in Rome: Nuovo Mercato Esquilino

The Esquilin is one of the seven hills of Rome that gives the district around Termini Central Station its name. In the heart of this district, right next to Piazza Vittorio (also a stop on Metro Line A), you will find Nuovo Mercato Esquilino. It’s much more ethnic there than on the Campo de ’Fiori.

For just over a decade, this market has been located here under the roof of the former Sani barracks in Via Principe Amedeo. Before that, it was held in the open air in the center of Piazza Vittorio (for over a hundred years). In addition to the obvious change due to its location, the market itself has seen radical changes in the products sold, as this location, i.e. the entire Esquilino district has become the cradle of the various ethnic groups that have gradually settled in the city.

In the past there were almost exclusively local and typical Roman products: from Pecorino cheese to Porchetta, Puntarelle or Abbacchio, today the market is teeming with stalls selling products from all corners of the world. Colorful spices, legumes, languages ​​from all over the world mix on the Nuovo Mercato Esquilino with the Roman dialect and local specialties between the market stalls and all this makes this place unique, especially in Rome.

• Address: Via Principe Amedeo 184, 00184 Rome
• Opening hours: Mon – Sun from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3. Markets in Rome: Mercato dell’Unità (Prati)

Not far from the Vatican you will find another (covered) representative of the most beautiful markets in Rome. The Mercato dell’Unità (The Market of Unity).

This is one of the city’s long-established markets where you can find all kinds of food, clothing and household products. In 1928 the monumental market hall was built in the neoclassical style. It has a large portal, turret at the corners of the building and the view of Via Cola di Rienzo, one of the shopping miles of the Italian capital.

The offer inside the market hall with 30s charm can be found in addition to vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, homemade products, pizza and pasta of all kinds, but also on flowers but also homemade Roman street food on fish (Pescheria Gourmet Fish & Chic ) or meat base (Il Boss della carne). And with “Racconti di gusto” even a small bookstore specializing in food and wine. Enjoy it! Oh yes, you get there with the metro (line A), because the market is about 200 meters from the Ottaviano station, or with the bus lines 70, 81, 186, 280 and 193.

• Address: Piazza Unità 53 / Via Cola Di Rienzo, 00192 Rome
• Opening hours: Mon – Sat from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

4. Markets in Rome: Mercato di San Cosimato (Trastevere)

The small market in Piazza San Cosimato is framed in the incredibly charming district of Trastevere. It is the place where you can almost feel like a real Roman. The piazza alone, where the medieval church (around 950 AD) San Cosimato is really picturesque, if you add the typical Italian market atmosphere, you can really immerse yourself in Bella Roma with all your senses.

In addition to the fixed stands on the edge of the piazza, whose shutters are moved up and down by the sellers every day (except Sundays), there are also many mobile stands that sell colorful local fruits and vegetables such as artichokes or Romanesco cabbage. Sausage and cheese specialties should not be missing. And then there are a few small stands with new and used books. So there is something for every taste and this overall package makes this charming market in Trastevere one of the most beautiful markets in Rome for me and definitely one of the most characteristic.

• Address: Piazza di S. Cosimato 64, 00153 Rome
• Opening hours: Mon – Sat from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

5. Rome markets: Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio

Let’s talk about one of my personal favorites of the markets in Rome. The Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio. Strictly speaking, this is more of a modern food and market hall and not a classic weekly market. But one thing is certain: this market in the lively Testaccio district is an absolute street food heaven! There the classic fruit and vegetable stands of the so-called veterans alternate with young, most innovative street food creations, which show that Roman cuisine is much more than pizza, suppli and carbonara.

Located between Via Galvani and Via Alessandro Volta, the new market in Testaccio is a concentration of grocery, clothing and handicraft shops. The market is open from Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Each kiosk follows its own schedule, which is not precisely defined. But many open around 9 a.m. and close between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. On Fridays the market is open all day until 6.30 p.m. Entrances can be found in Via Beniamino Franklin, Via Alessandro Volta, Via Aldo Manuzio and Via Lorenzo Ghiberti.

I particularly recommend the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio to anyone who is looking for fresh, authentic and genuine products and who loves simple street food, delicious dishes and excellent ingredients. This market is a non-plus ultra for in-place foodies. It surprises with its variety and you can also find lots of clothes, shoes, accessories and all kinds of household items. My favorite stands are: TRAPIZZINO (definitely try the suppli), MORDI & VAI (a stand that serves panini with typical Roman pasta sauces like Carbonara or Amatriciana – so good!) And LE MANI IN PASTA (home-made pasta at its finest). Buon Appetito amici!

• Address: Via Aldo Manuzio 66b, 00153 Rome
• Opening hours: Mon – Sat from 8 AM to 3 PM (Fri to 6:30 PM)

6. Markets in Rome: Mercato Centrale Roma

The next market on the list is much more of a modern market hall. The list of markets in Rome has recently been expanded to include the hip Mercato Centrale Roma. It is located directly in Termini station. So there is hardly a more central location in Rome – this fact alone makes it ideal for last minute market visits in Rome. The opening times are also much longer than those of the other markets in Rome. Nobody comes here for weekly shopping, but the Mercato Centrale is ideal for a neat snack in between or a lunch or dinner.

• Address: Via Giovanni Giolitti, 36, 00185 Rome
• Opening hours: Daily from 8 AM to midnight

7. Markets in Rome: Mercato di Traiano (Museo dei Fori Imperiali)

Last but not least, I would like to recommend the Mercato di Traiano. Admittedly, this candidate on my list of recommended markets in Rome that you shouldn’t miss is a bit out of line – at least at first glance. In spite of, or because of that, he’s actually the unofficial leader of all markets in Rome, because he’s the oldest! It is over 2000 years old and the first large covered market in history.

The Trajan Market takes its name from the great Roman Emperor Trajan, who commissioned it. Its construction is connected to the adjacent Forum of Trajan, the last and most magnificent of the imperial forums (Fori Imperiali). In fact, in antiquity the two structures were considered as one large complex with the nearby forum. Because the old emperor already knew that he also drew public life to the forum through the markets. In any case, the Trajan markets are an impressive building, both in ancient Rome and today.

You don’t have to visit the Museum of Fori Imperiali to admire the Trajan’s markets; although the Roman Imperial Forum Museum in Rome is one of my insider tips for Rome. It is also enough if you stop on Via dei Fori Imperiali on the way from the Colosseum to Piazza Venezia just before the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (Vittoriano). You can marvel at Rome’s first “shopping center” from the outside.

• Address: Via Quattro Novembre 94, 00187 Rome
• Opening hours: Daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

You see, the markets in Rome build a unique bridge from then to now. There are a culinary and cultural treasure that you shouldn’t miss on your next visit to Rome! Have fun trying!