Farmers' markets in Tuscany: here's where to find them and why choose them

Near the centre of Florence, in Piazza della Libertà, there is a small market that offers zero-kilometre products directly from local farmers: if you are looking for quality and niche products such as Certaldo onions, Mugello chestnuts or Cinta Senese cured meats, you can't miss the Parterre Farmers' Market, every Friday morning from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. the delights of the Tuscan countryside can be found in Piazzale delle Cascine thanks to Campagna Amica Firenze where over thirty stalls with strictly seasonal vegetables and fruit, jams, cheeses, pecorino cheese, cured meats and meat will make you lose yourself in the most authentic flavours of the area.

Another important reality in the heart of Florence's city centre is La Fierucola: here, every third Sunday of the month in Piazza Santo Spirito and on the morning of every second Sunday of the month in Piazza del Carmine, we can find organic products from small family businesses and traditional natural handicrafts. During the free-entry fairs, which often have a specific theme, photographic exhibitions, conferences on food and the preservation of biodiversity, along with craft courses take place, all with free admission.

Driving a few kilometres in the direction of Chianti, every fourth Sunday of the month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the best local products and natural crafts await you in Greve in Chianti at the Pagliaio, the organic and handicrafts market.

In Impruneta, every second Sunday of the month from 9:00 a.m. until evening, Piazza Buondelmonti hosts Mangiasano Bio-Mercatino, a market promoting a more sustainable lifestyle - linked to conscious consumption with zero waste – and enhancing the trustful relationships between producers and consumers.

In Arezzo, an important building dating back to the mid-19th Century hosts a permanent farmers' and producers' market on a daily basis, including Sundays: the Mercato delle Logge del Grano, which showcases the area's excellent food and wine products over an area of around 400 square metres. All the typical Zero-km products and raw materials are local, guaranteeing fresh, seasonal products and respect for local culture.

The exclusive location characterises another significant reality of the city of Arezzo: in fact, the Mercatale sotto i Portici takes place under the ancient porticos of Via Roma, in the heart of the city centre; every first Saturday of the month twelve Arezzo companies will be present with their seasonal products such as Casentino cold cuts, fresh and mature cheeses from Valdarno and Valtiberina, sweet and savoury baked goods from Valtiberina, jams, juices with seasonal fruit, artisan chocolates, nuts, pulses, flours and even honey, truffles and vegetables.

After the great success of the monthly market, a permanent covered market was introduced in 2008 in Viale Diaz - from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays - offering local produce, vegetables and cereals, cheeses, typical cold cuts and a wide selection of wines and extra virgin olive oil.

Producers from the Valtiberina and other areas of the Province of Arezzo exhibit their natural and fresh products every third Saturday of the month in Piazza Torre di Berta in Sansepolcro during the San Sepolcro Market. Fresh and matured cheeses made from raw sheep's, cow's and goat's milk, as well as organic ricotta and raveggiolo cheeses, artisan cured meats cured using natural methods and other typical sausages are just some of the products on display at this market. Bread, artisan baked goods and precious undergrowth products such as mushrooms, truffles and chestnuts can easily be found in this market.

The Pisa Farmers' Market is held in Piazza Santa Caterina every second and fourth Saturday of the month from 09:00 to 2:00 p.m.: the offer includes organic products, seasonal fruit and vegetables, handicrafts and much more.

In San Miniato, the Earth Market is held every third Sunday of the month from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is always very popular thanks to the quality and variety of the products on offer. Seasonal fruit and vegetables, fish and many excellent local products.

In Livorno, inside the structure managed by the "Pesce del Tirreno" Consortium, where the Fish Market is held every day, various local producers exhibit their seasonal fruit and vegetables, oil, wine, honey and jams at the Campagna Amica market every Saturday morning from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm.

The Earth and Sea Market takes place in the Procchio Park, welcoming small businesses and producers, all from the Island of Elba and the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, in the field of agricultural production and fishing - every Saturday from 8:00 to 1:00 p.m. and in summer also on Tuesdays.

The products on offer include mainly seasonal fruit and vegetables, fruit preserves, eggs, honey, wine, oil, bread, cheese, meat and sausages, and pasta made from wheat grown on Elba.  There is also fresh fish and the palamita del Mare di Toscana, a Slow Food presidium.

The Campagna Amica market in Grosseto is located in a large covered area just a stone's throw from the city centre: every Tuesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. we can find Zero-km fruit and vegetables, meat, cured meats, fish, shellfish and obviously wine, oil, honey and jams. Also local niche products such as snails can be found there.

It welcomes thousands of visitors every year, lovers of seasonal food and direct contact with farmers. The Campagna Amica market is held in Via dell'Annona every Saturday morning. A large number of high quality products are selected: from Cinta Senese ham to pork fillet and Florentine beef from local farms, along with wines, olive oil and jams.

There are three major events in Lucca.
On Wednesdays it is the turn of MercoledìBio, the organic market in Piazza San Francesco: a small market with seasonal vegetables such as the canestrino tomato - a local variety that is also a Slow Food presidium - red onions, green beans and string beans, fresh long and tasty beans. Then there are sheep and cow's cheeses, extra virgin olive oil from the Compitese hills, honey, fresh or processed Cinta meat, flour from ancient grains and bread baked in a wood-fired oven.

On Thursday mornings, Piazzale Verdi hosts the Campagna Amica market, a short supply chain market where you can find the best flavours from the province of Lucca: from zero-mile fish from the Tyrrhenian Sea to cheeses from the Garfagnana, including flowers and plants from Versilia and seasonal vegetables from local farms.

Every Saturday morning, the Foro Boario, outside the Porta Santa Maria gate, hosts a farmers' market.
From early in the morning, the 19th-century canopies of the former animal market host the numerous stalls of producers from the surrounding countryside.

The Campagna Amica market in Siena is located next to the Campagna Amica butcher's shop and is full of products from Siena: fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, cheeses, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh pasta, pulses and cereals and many other products, all strictly locally sourced.
Every Thursday and Saturday in Siena in Via Paolo Frajese from 08:00 to 1:00 pm.

Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Prato's Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Terra di Prato takes place, offering an opportunity to buy directly from producers, without intermediate steps, and to eat genuine, seasonal food.
An opportunity to discover and rediscover, directly from the experts, the properties and characteristics of certain foods, the seasonality of vegetables and fruit with a view to a re-appropriation of the typical local food and of farming knowledge.

The Carrara Campagna Amica Market is located in the main square of the town of Avenza, in the oldest part in front of the Castruccio Tower, the town's symbol. Here, too, you can find typical local products, Zero-Km vegetables and fruit, cured meats, meat, but also cheese, oil, wine and many jams.