Lerici Weekly Market (Mercato Settimanale)
Every Thursday morning the streets behind Lerici's waterfront fill with stalls selling everything from just-caught anchovies and fat Ligurian lemons to hand-embroidered linen and locally pressed olive oil — a vivid, fragrant slice of everyday Italian life that no amount of restaurant-hopping can replicate. Arrive before 9 a.m. to shop alongside the nonnas.
What to buy
The food stalls are the real draw: look for bunches of Genovese basil so fresh it still has soil on the roots, jars of pesto made to order, dried porcini from the Apennines, and the small, intensely flavoured Taggiasca olives that define Ligurian cooking. A few fishmongers set up at the far end selling the morning's catch at prices far below the harbour restaurants.
Textile and household stalls fill the side streets — useful if you need a sun hat, a linen beach bag, or a cheap set of ceramic bowls to take home. Bargaining is not really the local custom, but friendly conversation in broken Italian is always welcomed.
Getting the most from the market
The market runs from roughly 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is spread across Via Gerini and the adjacent streets a short walk inland from the castle. It is compact enough to cover in 45 minutes but rewarding enough to linger in for twice that long.
Combine your visit with a stop at the nearby Forno Baldini bakery for a slab of focaccia al formaggio fresh from the oven — the perfect market breakfast eaten standing up on the pavement, the way locals do it.
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