Mercato Sant'Ambrogio

Ciao! 

Every Wednesday my Italian class is dedicated to learning about Italian culture. I don't think anything can compare to today's lesson. We met in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce, a beautiful place to begin with. We then took a walk to the mercato Sant'Ambrogio. I know we have farmer's markets in the US, but really, nothing can compare to this place. There are two major markets in Firenze, but one is significantly more tourist-y, so our teacher took us to the more authentic one. It was incredible. We had lunch there, where she ordered us fried polenta, bread with olive oil, small pieces of pizza, and some other forms of carbohydrates (Italians eat a ridiculous amount of carbs.) We then walked around the market. There isn't just food at this market, there is clothing, jewelry, and just about anything else you could want. But I'll focus on the good because I'm in Italy and the food is the best part. 

Imagine a warehouse type structure completely filled with Italian meats, cheeses, and fresh pastas. Outside, there are baskets and baskets of every fruit and vegetable you can imagine, all looking so perfect. Seriously, if I lived and cooked in Italy that is where I would shop. No wonder everything tastes so good. This is where it comes from. I won't lie, the meats were somewhat freaky. Cow stomach is big here, so there were lots of those inside, and they happen to eat whole pigs here, so there were legitimate skinned whole pigs hanging... which is kind of disturbing. Lots of death in that place. But the cheeses were all huge blocks and you could ask for any type and they slice off a piece of it. And fresh pasta was in baskets, it looked incredible. This market is literally the italian food lovers dream. Dad- you would have been in heaven here. It was so unbelievable. 

Anyway, just wanted to give you a little look into the Italian mercato and definitely the reason why all of the food I eat here is so amazing. 

Ciao!