Booking choice: The food markets tour, 2 hours. Book this Tour details
Ask a Bolognese what day the market is and you will get a question back: which market? The food lanes of the Quadrilatero trade most days. Mercato delle Erbe is a covered hall with its own week. La Piazzola, the big general market, is on Fridays and Saturdays and is about clothes, not food. The farmers' market is on Saturday mornings.
Here is each one, where it is and when it runs, plus Osteria del Sole, the old wine room in the Quadrilatero where you bring your own food.
The quick answer
For food, go to the Quadrilatero (open daily, per Bologna Welcome) and to Mercato delle Erbe on Via Ugo Bassi (stalls Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday). La Piazzola runs Friday and Saturday but sells clothes and household goods. Mercato Ritrovato, the farmers' market, is on Saturday mornings from September to May.
What day is the market in Bologna?
The food markets run Monday to Saturday. The big general market is Friday and Saturday, and the farmers' market is Saturday morning.
Market by market:
| Bologna market | Where | Days open | What it sells |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrilatero | Lanes off Piazza Maggiore | Daily (food stalls, shops and restaurants) | Salumi, cheese, fresh pasta, fish, produce |
| Mercato di Mezzo | Via Clavature 12 | Hours differ between sources; check before you go | Food counters and places to eat |
| Mercato delle Erbe | Via Ugo Bassi 25 | Stalls Monday to Saturday; restaurants also Sunday | Produce, meat, cheese, fish; restaurants |
| La Piazzola | Piazza VIII Agosto and Montagnola park | Friday and Saturday | Clothes, vintage, household goods, flowers |
| Mercato Ritrovato | Cineteca, Via Azzo Gardino 65 | Saturday 9:00 to 14:00, September to May; some weekday evenings in the warm months | Local producers, Slow Food Presidia |
| Flower and plant market | Piazza San Francesco | Tuesday morning | Plants and flowers |
Sources: Bologna Welcome markets guide, Mercato delle Erbe, La Piazzola.
Mercato delle Erbe and the Quadrilatero with a local guide, small group, and you pay only for what you choose to taste.
Book this Tour detailsWhat is the Quadrilatero in Bologna?
The medieval market district beside Piazza Maggiore: a grid of narrow lanes of delis, fishmongers, produce stalls and bars.
The Quadrilatero is bounded by Via Rizzoli, Via dell'Archiginnasio, Via Farini and Via Castiglione. Its main lanes are Via Pescherie Vecchie, Via Drapperie, Via Clavature, Via Caprarie and Via degli Orefici, named after the trades once practised there.
Bologna Welcome gives the hours as daily: food stalls from 8:00 to 20:00, shops from 9:00 to 20:00, restaurants from 12:00 to 23:00. Come in the morning to watch the stalls set up and the locals shop. Come at aperitivo time to eat.
What is the famous food street in Bologna?
Via Pescherie Vecchie, the Quadrilatero lane known for tigelle, salumi and wine at aperitivo time.
Italia.it singles it out for an aperitivo of tigelle and salumi. Fishmongers and greengrocers work the lane in the daytime; in the evening the bars put out stools and boards. Via Drapperie and Via Clavature run alongside and work the same way.
Our tip: stand at a counter rather than wait for a table. The turnover is fast, and a board with a glass of Pignoletto is the right size before dinner.
What is Mercato di Mezzo?
A covered food hall on Via Clavature, in the heart of the Quadrilatero, with counters where you can eat.
A market has stood on the site since the Middle Ages. After Italian unification it became the city's first covered market, and it was redeveloped in 2014 as a food hall. The address is Via Clavature 12.
The hours are not consistent across official pages: one says Monday to Saturday until late, another says daily with a Monday closure. Check on the day. It works well as a rain plan or a quick lunch between sights.
What is Mercato delle Erbe?
Bologna's main covered produce market, on Via Ugo Bassi, with stalls in the daytime and restaurants for lunch and dinner.
The first covered market here was built in 1910 and a new one opened in 1949 after war damage. In 2014 part of it became restaurants. The market's own site gives stall hours as Monday to Saturday, 7:00 to 19:30, closed on Sunday. The restaurants serve lunch from 12:00 to 15:30 and dinner from 18:00 to midnight (until 23:00 on Sunday).
This is where locals shop for the week. Some stalls close for August holidays. The food markets tour spends its first hour here.
What are La Piazzola and Mercato Ritrovato?
La Piazzola is the big Friday and Saturday general market. Mercato Ritrovato is a Saturday farmers' market at the Cineteca.
La Piazzola fills Piazza VIII Agosto and Parco della Montagnola every Friday and Saturday, all year, with more than 400 stalls of clothes, vintage, household goods and flowers. It is not a food market. A cattle market was held on the site in 1251, and it is a recognised historic market of Emilia-Romagna (Bologna Welcome).
Mercato Ritrovato is the one for food lovers. Producers from within about 40 km sell at the Cineteca, Via Azzo Gardino 65, on Saturdays from 9:00 to 14:00 between September and May. Look for Slow Food Presidia such as Mortadella Classica. Sources disagree on the summer evening market, so check the current schedule.
Can you bring your own food to Osteria del Sole?
Yes, that is the whole idea. Osteria del Sole serves drinks only; you bring the food.
Osteria del Sole is at Vicolo Ranocchi 1/D, in the Quadrilatero, and was founded in 1465. It serves wine and beer, with no water, soft drinks or food (Gambero Rosso). The Spolaore family has run it since 1945. Italia.it and the regional tourist board call it Bologna's oldest osteria.
How to do it: buy mortadella, Parmigiano and bread from the delis on the surrounding lanes, carry it in, order a glass at the counter and find space at a long table. Hours on the official page are partly garbled, so check before you go. The classic walking tour includes a stop here if you would rather have a guide do the shopping.
The classic walk stops at Osteria del Sole, then sits you down for tortellini and tagliatelle in a trattoria.
Book thisShould you visit Bologna's markets with a guide?
Go alone for a look; go with a guide if you want to taste and understand what you are buying.
The Guided Food Markets Tour is two hours with a maximum of ten people: an hour in Mercato delle Erbe, 40 minutes in the Quadrilatero, then dessert at Piazza Santo Stefano. Food is paid separately at each stop, as much or as little as you like. Vegetarian and lactose-free options are always available, per the listing. It meets at Via Belvedere 6, in front of the market.
If you want everything paid for in advance and more wine, the all-inclusive walks suit you better. The best food tour guide compares them.
Frequently asked questions
What day is the food market in Bologna?
The Quadrilatero food lanes are open daily. Mercato delle Erbe's stalls open Monday to Saturday and close on Sunday. The farmers' market, Mercato Ritrovato, is on Saturday mornings from September to May.
Is La Piazzola a food market?
No. La Piazzola, on Fridays and Saturdays, sells clothes, vintage, household goods and flowers.
Are Bologna's markets open on Sunday?
The Mercato delle Erbe stalls are closed on Sunday, though its restaurants open. The Quadrilatero is listed as open daily.
Can you eat your own food at Osteria del Sole?
Yes. It serves drinks only, and customers bring their own food from the Quadrilatero shops.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option, and live availability on the booking page.
Guided Food Markets Tour
Two markets with a guide; you buy only what you want to taste
Walking Food Tour with a Local Expert
- 3-hour walk with a local guide
- Five food stops and wine along the way
- Mortadella, Parmigiano, balsamic, fresh pasta and gelato
Local Food Tour with Tastings and Wine
A 2-hour express or a 3-hour feast with a surprise dish
