Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio

Established in 1873 on Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, Sant'Ambrogio is Florence's oldest market and, unlike the more tourist-facing Mercato Centrale, still serves mainly the residents of the eastern old town near Santa Croce. Permanent stalls sell meat, cheese, bread, fish and tripe, with a produce section out front and small kiosks inside serving brick-oven pizza, arancini and salumi tastings. It grew out of the closure of the medieval Mercato Vecchio in the 1880s and has kept its working-class, neighbourhood character since.