- Signora, look at these beauties! You want mushrooms? These are the best! And for you, signora, special price!
I had just walked into a market early on Friday morning, escaping rain, when the man standing in front of boxes and boxes of chantarelles spotted me. He was already putting them in a brown paperbag and I heard myself saying "yes, please". I have no will power when it comes to mushrooms... I looked around: Stall after stall full of fresh mushrooms of all kinds. I had come to the right place.
You want to know what is in season? Step inside the Mercato Orientale.
Every big city in Europe has at least one, old, indoor market hall with lots of character and in Genoa it is the Mercato Orientale. Very conveniently located on Via XX Settembre, one of the main shopping streets, it is actually easy to miss as the sign for the entrance is not that visible.
Everything sold here on the bottom floor is attractively displayed. Mountains of apples, oranges, nectarines, bunches of carrots, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes... you name it.The air smells of spices and herbs. Fresh fish lies on beds of ice. Massive blocks of Parmesan cheese, aged for months and months, is sold here. You can also find Genovese specialities such as offal prepared according to old recipes.
I had just walked into a market early on Friday morning, escaping rain, when the man standing in front of boxes and boxes of chantarelles spotted me. He was already putting them in a brown paperbag and I heard myself saying "yes, please". I have no will power when it comes to mushrooms... I looked around: Stall after stall full of fresh mushrooms of all kinds. I had come to the right place.
You want to know what is in season? Step inside the Mercato Orientale.
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Every big city in Europe has at least one, old, indoor market hall with lots of character and in Genoa it is the Mercato Orientale. Very conveniently located on Via XX Settembre, one of the main shopping streets, it is actually easy to miss as the sign for the entrance is not that visible.
Everything sold here on the bottom floor is attractively displayed. Mountains of apples, oranges, nectarines, bunches of carrots, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes... you name it.The air smells of spices and herbs. Fresh fish lies on beds of ice. Massive blocks of Parmesan cheese, aged for months and months, is sold here. You can also find Genovese specialities such as offal prepared according to old recipes.
It may be a bit dissapointing to hear that the Mercato Orientale has nothing to do with Asia or some other exotic faraway eastern spot. The name means Eastern market, but it merely indicates that it was once situated in the east side of the city, said the guide book I have been reading recently.
There are several entrances and exits to the Mercato - it is worth taking any of them when going out of the market. I ended up in a small alleyway, just behind Via XX Settembre, buzzing with people sitting in small cafees, chatting or stopping to buy a newspaper from a kiosk in the street. This is what I like about Genoa - it is not an "open city", it has to be discovered...
There are several entrances and exits to the Mercato - it is worth taking any of them when going out of the market. I ended up in a small alleyway, just behind Via XX Settembre, buzzing with people sitting in small cafees, chatting or stopping to buy a newspaper from a kiosk in the street. This is what I like about Genoa - it is not an "open city", it has to be discovered...
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