Piazza Chanoux is the main square of Aosta — the Roman forum in a different era — and it holds a regular food and produce market where the agricultural produce of the valley comes directly to the city. Valle d'Aosta is one of Italy's smallest regions but has an unusually strong tradition of small-scale cheese and charcuterie production, much of it from farms in the side valleys that are effectively inaccessible for most of the year.
The market is the best place to buy Fontina by the piece (the DOP version, from properly pastured cows, is noticeably different from the supermarket imitation), along with Fromadzo (a lighter semi-fat cheese from the valley), Toma (a softer washed-rind version), and the various cured meats — Jambon de Bosses (DOP cured ham from the Gran San Bernardo valley), Motzetta (dried chamois or ibex meat, intensely flavoured), and the various salamis specific to different villages. Local honey, particularly chestnut and rhododendron varieties from higher altitude hives, and small-batch liqueurs including Génépy, are also usually available from permanent stalls around the square.