New Life In The Old Mercato

Lucca’s old market building, the Mercato del Carmine, began life in the 14th century as a convent for an order of nuns, the Carmelitani Scalzi (Barefoot Carmelites). The nuns left in the mid 1800’s and after that the building was used for a variety of purposes.

Once a bell tower, now a clock tower

A new use was found for the abandoned convent in the 1930’s. It was repurposed to house Lucca’s big community market which had previously been located in Piazza Anfiteatro (the site of the former Roman Amphitheater). The nun’s cloister was enclosed with a large roof to shelter the market. The campanile (bell tower) was converted into the clock tower that continues to anchor the building today. The places where nuns once lived and prayed became filled with market stalls.

The market operated until 1974 when it moved to the edge of the walled city, along Via Bacchettoni. A few years ago it moved again to a spot outside the city walls. Somehow the new spot just doesn’t have the same character as I imagine the Old Mercato had.

These little shops once housed vendors of all types - eggs, fish, salumi, chicken, vegetables, grains and spices. It has been sad to see them sit empty for so long.

An art installation in the Mercato del Carmine

For years now the Mercato building has stood largely empty with only a few shops around its exterior perimeter. The large open space inside still shows signs of its former lives as convent and market. There are large arches from the convent and spaces whose signage marks where vendors once sold fish and poultry.  It has most recently been used mostly as an “overflow” space for the vegetable shops and Bar del Sole which open onto its interior. But mostly it has been an underused space, one that really showed its age.   A second section of the building was closed off, its old arches and fresco remnants hidden from sight.

Recently funds were awarded to restore the building. Many of us hoped it would once again become a permanent market, but that seems unlikely.  Sadly, the work has displaced several of the remaining businesses around the perimeter. Gone are the butcher and the chocolate shop. The bar will soon move to a new location. What controversy this has caused! And while people are excited to see the building brought back to life, many also hold out hope that some of the long term businesses will return when the work is completed.

Slow Foods Market, March 2024

The restoration is ongoing but far enough along that recently some special events have taken place in parts of the building. In late March, Lucca hosted a food fair that flowed across town through several of the piazzas.  The largest of the exhibits was a Slow Foods event held in the old Mercato building.

What a joy to see the building filled with booth after booth of wonderful products and throngs of inspired shoppers.   Baskets of vegetables and fruits were arranged like culinary art.

Fragrant cheeses and salumi were available to sample. Bakers sold several kinds of bread - focaccia, rolls, whole grain, white, seeded. The fresh Pecorino I tasted easily found its way home with me as did some wonderful focaccia and paper thin slices prosciutto. Nothing beats a market lunch!

Several of the booths featured local wines, olive oil, or honey. There were packages of farro, tiny green lentils, and beans in all shapes and colors along with flours made from variety of grains.

The market was lively, fun, and full of shoppers. The products sold were of high quality. This gives me hope that, just maybe, more markets like this will bring new life to this old Mercato.

Arezzo, Italy's Christmas City

Beginning in late November, and continuing through the beginning of January, the Tuscan city of Arezzo becomes the Citta del Natale, the Christmas City. 

During those weeks, Arezzo is home to Italy’s largest Tyrolean style Christmas market. The market showcases the best of Austrian and German holiday crafts and foods, with a unique Italian accent.  

 A visit to the market begins with a stroll up Corso Italia where shops are decorated and exquisite glass ornaments, tree toppers, and holiday tableware are on display. 

Santa Maria della Pieve, Arezzo, at Christmas

Also on Corso Italia is the Church of Santa Maria della Pieve.  It is well worth a stop inside the 6th century church.

Not only is the historic church beautiful, at this time of year the crypt houses a beautiful life size Nativity.

Continuing into the historic center of Arezzo, the small side streets are full of Christmas decorations.

Piazza Grande, the large central piazza at the heart of the city, is where the market begins.

The piazza is ringed by Medieval and Renaissance buildings and the beautiful Vasari Loggia. Together they provide a very Italian background for the market. 

 Small wooden huts fill the piazza.  Each one displays holiday crafts or ornaments. There are lots of little Christmas trolls, wooden nutcrackers and bells, along with colorful hats and gloves.

 The piazza also holds many baitine del gusto (tasting huts).  Huge stacks of sweet or salty pretzels, spit roasted pork, goulash, stuffed potatoes, and Italian panini are for sale. 

Other booths focus on sweets - chocolate, pastry, apple strudel. It’s impossible to go hungry at the Mercato! There are plenty of huts selling beer and hot mulled wine too. 

There is no shortage of cafes in the loggia at the upper edge of the piazza. A stop for a cioccolato caldo con panna montata (hot chocolate with whipped cream) provides a chance to warm up and just the boost needed to keep going until nightfall.

Nighttime brings a whole new dimension to the Piazza Grande.  When dark falls, projected lights splash patterns on the ancient building facades, each with a different pattern. Above the loggia, ornate snowflakes on a blue background cascade down the walls.  The intricate patterns transform the piazza and are stunning.

 Leaving Piazza Grande, the next stop is the Prato, the large park up above town near the Duomo.  More wooden huts with crafts, ornaments, and food fill the market in the park. A display of large fallen stars leads the way to the Prato.   

The Prato also comes alive after dark when the Bosco delle Meraviglie (Forest of Wonders) sparkles with trees wrapped in lights. The Ruota Panoramica, a large ferris wheel, turns high above the booths and the kids flock to the giostra (carousel).  Il Prato is full of Christmas magic.

 With just an afternoon and evening in Arezzo, the markets in Piazza Grande and the Prato filled my time.  A full day, or better yet an overnight, would have brought my group of friends to the Father Christmas House (lots of kids lined up there) and a Lego house made of 2 million Lego bricks.  Next time!

A trip to Arezzo for the Christmas market made for a wonderful start to the holiday season. A big thanks to Giovanni and Loreal at The Tuscan Wanderer for whisking us away to Arezzo for a wonderful day.

A Butcher, A Baker, A Pasta maker And More

One of my favorite small shops in Lucca.

 Lucca has a host of small, family run food shops – places that specialize in salumi (cured meats), formaggio (cheese), frutta e vedure (fruit and vegetables), or dolce (sweets).  

The forno is the place to go to buy bread, the pasticceria for pastries and cakes, the latteria for milk products, and a macelleria for meats.  There is even a polleria that has the most delicious chicken.   Shopping for a meal might involve three or more shops. There is also a Wednesday afternoon organic market in Piazza San Francesco and a large outdoor market on Saturdays, a bit outside of the historic center of town.  All have high quality products, many from local producers. 

 As much as I love shopping at these local places, there is one thing I long for that is nowhere to be found in Lucca – a good daily covered market.  There once was a small permanent market in Lucca in the building that is still called Il Mercato, but that was long ago.  Other than a few small shops (a butcher, a greengrocer, a chocolate shop) and a much loved local bar, most of the market has stood empty at least for the 5 years I have lived in Lucca (and probably much longer).  The old Mercato building is currently undergoing restoration, which has sadly displaced most of the small vendors that had remained, including the Bar del Sole, which has caused a major controversy in town. Sadly, the restoration plan does not seem to include turning it back into a thriving food market.

The caffè inside the Sant’Ambrogio market.

 The market I fantasize about having here in Lucca does actually exist – but it is in Florence. 

Located in the Santa Croce district, the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio is the oldest indoor food market in Florence, in business since 1873.  The colors, aromas, and sounds of the market give it a vibrant, full-of-life feel. Layer in the sound of Italian chatter and it is wonderful. The Sant’Ambrogio is my favorite place for an authentic Italian shopping experience.  I can spend a whole morning just wandering through the  market, with a quick stop for a coffee at the caffè. Or maybe a post-shopping lunch at the trattoria. This is one-stop-shopping at its finest!

The butcher counters are marvels.  Not only are they full of standard cuts of meat (steaks, roasts, chicken, rabbit, lamb, pork) but also polpetti (meatballs), involtini, small packages of meat rolled around a variety of fillings, and larger roasts filled with a variety of stuffings. It’s a carnivores delight.

 The different types of fish look as fresh as can be.  A wide selection of fiish is difficult to find in Lucca and the Sant’Ambrogio has two large fish stalls. If I lived in Florence you would find me here every week buying some of the large shrimp, fish fillets, squid, or anchovies. 

 There are several stalls with cured meats. Large legs of prosciutto crudo (Italy’s famous cured but uncooked ham) hang overhead or sit on the counter waiting to be sliced.  And not just one variety, but prosciutto from different regions, aged for different lengths of time, with different levels of sweetness vs saltiness, and different textures. Then there is prosciutto cotto (a cooked ham), and all types of salami.  

 And the cheese stalls!  Tubs of fresh ricotta, rounds of pecorino, little goat cheeses, big rounds of gorgonzola, and balls of mozzarella just for starters.  Soft cheese, hard cheese, and pretty little herb encrusted cheeses call my name as I pass by. There are more varieties of cheese than I could possibly name. I would like to try them all.

There are plenty of marinated goodies too – artichokes, olives, peppers, dried tomatoes, grilled eggplant, anchovies.  

Add some of those to the cured meats and cheeses and you have an instant aperitivo spread or a tasty lunch.

Oh those fresh pastas! Plain or filled, they are a carb lovers treat.  There are mounds of fresh linguini, filled ravioli, trofie, and gnocchi.   Crocks of prepared sauces hold the perfect toppings for the various pastas.

 What else is needed to stock the kitchen?   You can find most everything here. Stalls of spices, beans, dried pasta, olive oil, and wine. 

Probably the only thing that I skip is the lampredotto (tripe) booth.  It smells wonderful but I just can’t convince myself to try this Tuscan delicacy. But for fans, the Sant’Ambrogio market is said to be one of the best places in Florence for a lampredotto panino. I will stick to some of the other booths serving prepared ready-to-go foods. And then a quick stop at one of the bakeries.

Just outside the covered market, outdoor vendors sell fruits, vegetables, nuts, olives, and breads.  The produce looks like art to me with the variety of colors, shapes, and textures.

 I spoke with one of the market vendors, telling him that I was from Lucca and, sadly, that we didn’t have a market like this.   He gave me a knowing smile and said yes, it’s better in Florence. The merchants and the shoppers here seem to know what a gem they have in the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio.  If only I could transport it to Lucca. But it sure is fun to visit when I am in Florence!

One of the bakeries in the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio

From My Italian Kitchen: Pasta Primavera

“Piselli pigri” fresh from the market, with Tropea onions, mushrooms and asparagus

When the warmer weather of spring and early summer arrives, it is time to put away winter recipes and start cooking with the best produce the season has to offer. Later in summer, ripe tomatoes will take center stage as the basis for Caprese and Panzanella salads, but right now fresh peas and bright green asparagus are at the top of my list.

For the past couple of months both have been available at the markets in Italy.  Even better for me, I can buy piselli pigri (lazy peas) at the Ortofrutta (vegetable and fruit market) in Lucca. I call them lazy peas, but it is really the cook (me) who is pigra (lazy).  Piselli pigri are fresh peas already shelled at the Ortofrutta and placed in bags, eliminating all the work but none of the flavor. A lazy cook’s dream!

 The combination of fresh peas and asparagus, along with some onion (I like to use Tropea but yellow onion works just fine too), a lot of mushrooms, and a bit of diced prosciutto cotto (cooked ham) comes together to make a tasty Pasta Primavera (a spring style pasta). This is the perfect warm weather pasta dish, chock full of veggies and with very light on the sauce. 

 The little bit of sauce it does have, just enough to slightly moisten the pasta, comes from cooking the onion, peas, and asparagus in butter, allowing the veggie juices to mingle with the butter flavor. More flavor comes from quick cooking the mushrooms in hot butter in a separate pan. These ingredients are then combined with cooked linguine tossed in, yes, more butter. The last step is to sprinkle the pasta with parmesan cheese. The simple fresh flavors taste just like spring.

Notice the rough surface of this pasta - perfect for making the very light sauce cling to the pasta.

The recipe is quite flexible.  When fresh asparagus isn’t available I simply leave that out and increase the amounts of the other veggies.  No fresh peas?  Frozen ones will work too.  In the United States I use a thick slice of Virginia ham in place of the prosciutto cotto.  And sometimes, just for fun, I use cubes of crisp pancetta in place of the ham. This is a dish that lends itself to experimentation.  To get the best results, use the best pasta available. The one pictured here, La Molisana brand, uses a bronze extruder to form the pasta, leaving it just a bit rough and able to cling to the light sauce of this pasta dish. It also helps to use a good quality parmesan. Freshly grated is always best, though I am not above buying some already grated (another shortcut for the pigra cook). 

 The basic recipe serves 3 as a main dish, 4 as a side.

¾# linquine

8 tablespoons butter

¾ cup fresh peas, blanched for about 5 min (or use frozen peas straight from the freezer without blanching)

¾ cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1” pieces and blanched for 3-4 minutes. Medium size asparagus, a little larger than the width of a pencil work best.  If using really thin ones you may skip the blanching, if using really fat ones it is best to trim the thickest part of the stalk with a vegetable peeler before using.

The bright green peas and asparagus look just like spring.

¼ of a yellow onion, sliced thin

½ cup cubed ham

8 oz mushrooms (white or small portobellas) ,sliced thin. Love mushrooms? Use more!

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Sea salt and coarse ground pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy pan. Add the peas, onion, and asparagus.  Sauté for about 10 minutes until the veggies are almost tender.  Add the cubed ham and cook to heat through.

 In a separate frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add the mushrooms to the hot butter and cook over a medium high heat.  The mushrooms should cook quick enough that they hold their juices in and brown rather than simmer. 

While the vegetables are cooking, cook the pasta.   Toss the al dente pasta with 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the grated parmesan cheese.  Add the cooked veggies and ham with all of the accumulated juices. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top with the mushrooms and a sprinkle of cheese.. Serve with some extra grated parmesan.

A crisp white wine goes really well with this pasta. Perhaps a Gavi, a Grillo, or a Catarratto. Enjoy!

Pasta Primavera

Inspiration from an Italian Spice Market: Chai

Does anything taste better on a cold winter afternoon than a cup of chai? Hot, peppery, spicy, sweet, milky - it is the perfect winter warm up. Brewed Chai is not a typical offering in Italy, and the available Chai tea bags just don’t approach the taste of the real thing. There was only one solution, I needed to learn to brew it myself !

A trip to an outdoor holiday market in December gave me just the inspiration I needed to work on my chai brewing skills. A big basket of star anise and another of tiny cubes of candied ginger first caught my eye. There were also displays of cinnamon sticks, whole black peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods. It was impossible to see all of these spices and not think of chai!

I have experimented with several different ways of brewing chai. I’ve used whole, ground, and crushed spices. I’ve tried making batches of spice mix ahead of time to keep on hand. In the end I have found that the easiest method, and the one that achieves the flavor I crave, is to brew individual small batches of chai using whole spices, pieces of crystallized ginger, and a good strong base of black tea. Whole milk is perfect for chai, though 2% works pretty well too. There are lots of possibilities for sweeteners - I tend to use stevia.

The brewed chai will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, just reheat as needed.

The recipe is flexible. Like more pepper? Just increase the amount to taste. More cinnamon? Throw in another stick. Don’t like cloves? They can be eliminated all together. No cardamom on hand? It will still taste great without it. The ginger, cinnamon, and some black pepper are essentials though. And a good, strong black tea. And while I have tried powdered spices, they just don’t work as well.

As I write this I have a batch brewing and my apartment is filled with the wonderful aroma of chai spices.

Simple Chai Recipe (makes 3 cups)

In a saucepan, cover 3 black tea bags (or an equivalent amount of loose black tea) with 3 cups of boiling water.

Add the following:

3 cinnamon sticks

1 ounce of crystallized ginger, either thin flakes or cut into small bits (note: ginger varies a lot in intensity - this is a starting point, adjust to taste)

3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

12 whole cloves

15 cardamom pods, cracked

4 whole star anise pods

Steep over lowest flame x 45 minutes and then strain to remove the whole spices.

Add sweetener and milk to taste (4 ounces of milk is about right)

Bring to a simmer and enjoy!

A hot cup of chai provides inspiration for writing too!