The 10 best markets in Rome

It would be simply wrong for the top spot on our list to be given to a market that wasn’t food related. You’re in Rome, after all. And Mercato di Campagna Amica, a farm-to-table market near Circus Maximus, is everything you’ve dreamed of and more, selling cheeses, meats and charcuterie that will make you sing with happiness. And it’s all local from Lazio, the region surrounding Rome. 

Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am-7pm

More than any other, this covered market near Termini Station best typifies the city’s burgeoning multiculturalism. In a cavernous industrial building a block from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Nuovo Mercato Esquilino is a noisy, colourful smorgasbord of international foods and world languages. Need a jackfruit, a little Chinese five-spice or a still-wriggling eel from the fishmonger? You’re in the right place.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 5am-3pm, Friday and Saturday 5am-5pm

If you’re looking for some posh second-hand rags or baubles, head to this flea market just north of Piazza del Popolo. The Borghetto Flaminio is one of the best markets in Rome for used designer clothes, furs and handbags, and antiques. After all, a pre-loved Prada is better than no Prada at all.

Hours: Sunday, 10am-7pm

This enclosed market in the slightly gritty Testaccio neighbourhood, just a ten-minute walk from the Piramide metro stop, is the best of Rome under one roof, with stands offering clothes, handbags, varied and vibrant produce, and some of the city’s best street food. Buy the makings of a gourmet picnic, or get in line for a panini from the Testaccio’s much-revered Mordi & Vai. 

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7am-2:30pm

Follow the trolley-tugging grannies to Trastevere’s quaint morning market where locals gather to shop and socialise, but are mostly there to pick up the neighbourhood gossip. Although the number of stalls has dwindled since the market’s century-old beginnings, there is still plenty of gleaming fruit and veg, super-fresh fish and a friendly family-run kiosk with a great selection of excellent cured meats and top-quality cheeses from Italy and beyond. 

If you find yourself peckish in Prati (the neighbourhood north of the Vatican), consider this historic food market for the makings of a gourmet picnic. With a handful of street food vendors inside, Mercato dell'Unità is also a great pit stop during a day of shopping on Via Cola di Rienzo.

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7am-6pm

You have to wade through a lot of junk to find the good stuff at this sprawling, super-crowded flea market in Trastevere. With more and more stalls selling new, cheap clothes and souvenirs, it takes some dedication to seek out the real flea flair, such as used housewares, antiques and vinyl. Prepare for a swarm of people and watch your purse or wallet here. 

Hours: Sunday, 7am-2pm

This sprawling indoor market near the Vatican Museums is Rome’s biggest and busiest, with nearly 300 stalls selling produce, cheeses, meat and fish, as well as sundries and household items. You’ll find a lot more locals than tourists at Mercato Trionfale: it’s a neighbourhood institution. 

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8am-1:30pm

We’ll be real: this long-time produce market in the heart of the historical centre caters more to tourists than it does to locals (who are dwindling in this part of town, thanks to Airbnb and the like). Arrive at Campo de’ Fiori early in the morning, when vendors are still setting up, and local chefs are shopping for the day’s menu, and glimpse at the market of yore. 

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 6am-2pm

This hip market in even hipper Monti typifies everything special and edgy (spedgy?) about the neighbourhood. For handcrafted fashions, jewellery and accessories, vintage wear, and designer sunglasses come here to mingle with the cool kids while shopping.

Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10am-8pm