One Florence’s oldest markets is at the centre of an unofficial proposal aimed at reviving the historical neighborhood.
Over the years, San Lorenzo market has changed. Its unique Florentine identity has been lost, many locals argue. The majority of merchants are now foreign-born and the market no longer sells the traditional, locally manufactured, artisan products of yesteryear.
Mirko, a native Florentine who now lives on the outskirts of the city, described what the market was like when he was a teen:‘If you walked through San Lorenzo market 20 years ago, you’d see Florentines working at the stands and Florentines buying the merchandise. It was a typically Florentine atmosphere with people yelling things, like ‘O che bischero!’ and ‘Ma cosa tu dici?’ from one stall to the next, and from one part of the market to the next. We Florentine kids went there to shop. There were used- and new-clothing stalls, jewelry made by local artisans, terracotta pots and other home furnishings, ceramics, and souvenirs for tourists.’
Where have all the Florentines gone? ‘The owners of the stalls are still Florentine…but today they make more money subletting them to others, the majority of which are foreigners, and they save themselves from having to stand around all day selling. Stand rentals range from 500 to 2,500 euro a month,’ said an Ethiopian leather merchant, who rents one of the prime stands in the market. ‘The fact is that Florentines have become too comfortable to work the market,’ commented his Florentine friend.
Mirko said the market began to change about 10 years ago, when the cost of permits and profits increased as tourism in Florence started to boom.
Most residents would like the market to be limited to merchants selling products that are made in Florence, or at least made in Italy, that reflect local identity and history. Frequent tourists to the city agree: ‘The location should be kept but the items sold should be Italian products (made in Italy). It is very convenient to walk there and it has been in all of the travel books. It could be made more uniform by display regulations established by a committee. We treasure all items we purchased at this market and look forward to going there when we visit,’ Sally Brown wrote to TF.
Can the city dictate and then regulate what products are sold in San Lorenzo? ‘With globalization, I think it’s useless to force merchants in to sell local products or clothes that are made in Italy. Even Armani makes some of his clothes in China now,’ observed Luca, a Florence native who grew up in the Oltrarno.
‘When I was young, I used to work in and shop for clothes at the market. But now with department stores and shopping malls, it’s no longer convenient, time-wise or money-wise, to shop there. Sometimes I go to the daily market in Campo di Marte. In fact, these neighborhood markets are now what San Lorenzo used to be 20 years ago, with Florentine merchants selling their wares to nearby residents,’ Luca added.
Long-time business owners in the area would also like to see San Lorenzo ‘cleaned up’, as they say, but they admit that it will be difficult to reduce the number of stalls, as was proposed by vice mayor Dario Nardella (see TF 114).
‘It’s a pity to see the market reduced to such squalor and the façade of San Lorenzo church hidden behind the stalls. I still remember the way the market used to be. It was cleaner and more organized. But I also don’t think it’s right to take someone’s bread and butter away. If they move some stalls to the ethnic market on Lungarno Pecori Giraldi, those merchants would never make the same money,’ said the owner of one of San Lorenzo’s historic restaurants, Le palle d’oro.
Facing the prospect of losing business and profits, the merchants of San Lorenzo are strongly opposed to any proposal to move. ‘If the mayor wants to move us then I’ll park my truck under his house. I paid 50,000 euro for this stand in this part of the market. I pay the permits every year. I do no harm to anyone; I just want to work and make a living. If our politicians want to clear up the piazza and clean up the market to make it more ‘Florentine,’ they should first deal with those stores that aren’t Florentine at all, like the Standa supermarket that faces onto Piazza San Lorenzo. That’s the real eyesore’, said Enzo Marchetti, the owner of a food truck located in front of the San Lorenzo church.
TF reader Cristina Fantacci, who works at NYU, seems to agree: ‘I understand why the owners of the stalls are upset-I would be as well if I were in their position. From what I know, buying the commercial license for a stand in San Lorenzo costs a large amount of money, and the Lungarno would never generate the same income … I have always seen a market around the church and eliminating it would probably create another empty square in Florence.’
What do other TF readers think? ‘Anything to upgrade the market would be welcome,’ wrote Davide B. Monier-Williams. Students from the Liceo Scientifico L. Da Vinci told TF that two different points of view were the result of an in-class debate: ‘Some of us agreed to moving to the ethnic market on the Lungarno those stands that sell souvenir and tourist products that are made abroad, as well as increase stands in San Lorenzo that sell traditional Florentine and Tuscan products. Others believe that a part of Florence tourism depends on San Lorenzo market, which attracts lots of tourists every day, so moving it would be a loss for the city’s economy.’
What’s clear is that everyone who lives in and loves Florence has an opinion on the ‘San Lorenzo’ situation, but there are multiple parties involved and multiple opinions on what should be done to improve the area.
We at TF believe that this is not the end of the debate, but just the beginning. Keep letting us know what you think could be done to restore beauty back to San Lorenzo.
This story is ongoing, as any change to the historic market would inevitably change the ‘face’ of the city. Let us know your views on the subject and we’ll include them in future articles. Email us at inbox@theflorentine.net
