Monterosso al Mare Saturday Market
Every Saturday morning the wide seafront promenade of Monterosso al Mare — the largest and flattest of the five villages — transforms into the Cinque Terre's liveliest weekly market, where Ligurian farmers, fishers and artisan producers set up stalls under striped awnings just metres from the beach.
What to Buy
The lemons of Monterosso are famously large and perfumed — locals call them limoni di Monterosso and they are used in everything from granita to limoncino liqueur. Buy a bag and eat the segments salted as a snack, the way fishermen do.
Jars of homemade pesto genovese (made with Ligurian DOP basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano and Pecorino) are sold by the women who made them; these are vastly superior to anything in a supermarket and cost €4–€7 per jar.
Fresh anchovies from the Ligurian Sea, sold salted in small clay pots, are the other essential purchase. The anchovies of Monterosso have their own Slow Food Presidium designation.
The Market Atmosphere
Arrive by 8:30 am when the stalls are fullest and the light is low and golden across the sea. The market runs until roughly 1 pm and is located along the lungomare (seafront walkway) near the old town tunnel.
After shopping, sit at one of the beach bars with a spremuta (fresh-squeezed juice) and a farinata — a crispy chickpea-flour pancake baked in a wood-fired oven, sold in wedges for about €2.
Monterosso al Mare Saturday Market on video
More of Cinque Terre
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Cinque Terre →
