Mercato di Rialto

Mercato di Rialto is the historic food market of Venice, set in the San Polo district beside the Grand Canal at the foot of the Rialto Bridge, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Trading has taken place on this spot for centuries, and the market still supplies many of the city's restaurants and households. It has two main parts. The Erbaria, along the canal side, holds the fruit and vegetable stalls, where seasonal produce from the Venetian lagoon islands such as Sant'Erasmo, including artichokes and spring asparagus, sits alongside spices, dried fruit and regional cheeses. The Pescheria, the fish market, occupies a neo-Gothic loggia and sells lagoon and Adriatic seafood such as cuttlefish, soft-shell crabs, sea bass, langoustines and eels, laid out on ice from early morning. The goods are food rather than souvenirs, so the ratio of authentic to tourist merchandise is high, though a few stalls near the bridge sell packaged spices, pasta and souvenir items aimed at visitors. Prices are fixed per kilo and displayed; bargaining is not part of the culture, and sellers expect customers to be clear about quantities. Cash is the norm at the smaller stalls, although some vendors accept cards. Because the goods are perishable, tax-free shopping rules are rarely relevant here. The atmosphere is busiest and most authentic in the early morning, when chefs and locals shop before the stalls wind down around midday; the fish market is closed on Mondays and Sundays. Cafes and bacari (small wine bars) in the surrounding lanes, including Ruga degli Orefici and the campi around the market, serve cicchetti, glasses of wine and coffee, so visitors can eat on the spot. The market is a good place to see the working rhythm of the city and to photograph produce, though the fish stalls are wet and slippery underfoot.