Siena 2018: Market Day and A Senese Lunch, Siena, Italy

As I’m only here in Siena for 4 days, I was pleased to discover that one of the days - Wednesday - is the weekly market day. Having walked around and looked over Piazza del Mercato behind the Campo so often, I assumed that’s where the market would be.

Fortunately, Elisa was sitting in Reception when I was going out and I told her my plan. Then I learned that the market is in fact in completely the opposite direction - off La Lizza along Viale Maccari Cesare. Elisa showed me where it was on the map and marked the route. It was only a short walk away - nowhere is far in this small city.

It’s one of those markets that sells everything - clothes, household goods, anything you can think of. Elisa had told me where the food section was so I made my way through to what turned out to be quite a small food market. It was though a very good one full of wonderful produce.

There was baccala and a fresh fish stall; a huge porchetta - pork roasted slowly over many hours, and a typical Tuscan dish.

A few stalls displayed gorgeous fruit and vegetables; some fat little courgettes, as well as small long courgettes with their flowers still attached.

I love going to a market even when I’m not staying somewhere I can cook. It’s always a delight to see some things I might not find at home and I think you can tell a lot about a place by seeing how people shop and this kind of market reflects the Italians’ passion for food.By now it was mid-morning and I made my way back towards the Campo and Caffe Nannini on Via Banchi di Sopra. Here I stood at the bar with a spremuta - fresh orange, squeezed in front of me - a cappuccino and croissant (€5). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).