Every city needs a department store, a convenient place where residents
can efficiently check off all the items on their shopping lists, find specialty
goods and practical items. London has Harrods. New York has Macy’s and Paris has the Galeries
Lafayette. While Florence is by no means as
populous as these cities, Florentines do have such a place for one-stop
shopping: the Cascine Market. Open only on Tuesday mornings, it remains off
many tourists’ radars but local Florentines revel in its existence
The open-air
market serves the same purpose as any typical department store. People come to
buy kitchen supplies, clothes, rugs, curtains, food, cosmetics, indoor decor
accents and toys. Yet the Cascine Market is undeniably Italian. Individual
vendors set up shop on the banks of the Arno and display their goods alongside eye-catching signs
advertising deals that are appealing to even the thriftiest of shoppers.
However, if the price doesn’t strike your fancy, you’re more than welcome to
bargain. Whether or not your proffered price will be honored is a an open
question, but one thing is certain: the more time you spend bargaining, the
less time you’ll have to compete with your fellow shoppers for the best
products.
And compete they do. Some stands resemble the rush of Black Friday in
the U.S. as people search for their
preferred size and color among the boxes and boxes of products.
As I strolled
under cover of my umbrella, the Italian conversation floated around me. Local
vendors were more than happy to chat with me, although one was particularly
upset when I explained that I was not interested in purchasing a rather large
piece of fabric. I may have regained her favor, however, when I offered my
umbrella for her journey to her brother’s stand.
My favorite
part about the Cascine Market may be its location. Forget your complaints about
lack of green space in the city center once you enter Cascine. Called the
Central Park of Florence by one of my professors, Cascine is well worth the
15-minute bus ride from the Duomo. That short ride transports you to a world
outside of the city center, sans narrow streets and without a tour group in
sight. Come to jog, to walk, to enjoy the sunset along the Arno, or, if necessary, to buy a broccoli steamer from the
popular weekly market.
