Mercato Settimanale di Nettuno
Every Thursday morning, Nettuno's weekly open-air market fans out across the streets near the town centre and becomes the truest expression of daily life on this stretch of the Lazio coast. Stalls groan with seasonal produce from the Pontine Plain — one of Italy's most fertile agricultural zones — alongside fresh fish landed that morning at the nearby Anzio harbour.
What to Buy
The fruit and vegetable stalls are the undisputed stars: fat local tomatoes, courgette flowers still dewy from the field, baskets of wild herbs, and the distinctive fragoline di bosco (tiny wild strawberries) that appear in late spring. Prices are a fraction of what you would pay in Rome, and vendors are happy to let you taste before you buy.
Look for the stalls selling locally produced olive oil, dried pasta and jarred artichokes from the Castelli Romani hinterland — all excellent, lightweight souvenirs that will survive the journey home.
The Fish Section
A dedicated section of the market is given over to fishmongers selling the morning's catch from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Expect whole sea bream, clams, mussels, cuttlefish and the occasional tray of anchovies that will be salted and sold as the region's beloved alici di Anzio.
If you are self-catering or staying in an apartment, this is your moment: buy a bag of vongole veraci (carpet-shell clams), a bottle of local white wine from a nearby stall, and cook the classic spaghetti alle vongole for lunch. Few meals in Italy will taste better.
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