Mercato Orientale

Genoa's main covered market, in a converted 18th-century Augustinian cloister

Genoa's main food market, installed in the cloister of a dissolved 18th-century monastery, is one of the best in Liguria. The stalls sell everything the Ligurian kitchen requires: fresh fish and seafood from the coast, cheeses including the great Genoese prescinseua (a fresh curd used in focaccia), pesto prepared in front of you, dried herbs, pasta in all the local shapes, and a good wine section.

The market hall has been recently renovated and now includes a gastronomy area with cooked food and wine bars, making it a good lunch stop. The main hall is open mornings only (until 1pm); some food vendors on the perimeter keep afternoon hours. Via XX Settembre, the main shopping street, runs directly past the entrance.

things to do market sight
A story
The market is housed in the cloister of a former Augustinian monastery, dissolved by Napoleon in 1798. The monks' garden became the market hall; the corridors of the cloister became the stalls. The building has served as a food market ever since, one of the few such conversions in Italy that has maintained a genuine working market function rather than becoming a tourist attraction.

Other places in Things to Do