Mercato Trionfale

Fantastic food market! If you’ve ever gone to Campo di’ Fiori to get a real, Roman food market experience, you’ve been had. Campo di’ Fiori has its charms and a lot of the food items sold are good, sure, but it’s also crowded, and has a lot of tourists pretty much any time of year. But Mercato Trionfale is a different beast.
Located a stone’s throw away from the Vatican (but in the «wrong direction», away from all the other tourist sites of Rome), it is located in what looks a bit like an industrial hall, and spans a full block. It doesn’t look like much, but inside you’ll find a fantastic choice of fresh produce, meat, cured products, kitchen wares, fish, fresh pasta, and much, much more. Don’t expect any of the vendors to speak anything but Italian (a few do, but most don’t), but a bit of pointing will get you a long way. Most vendors are cash-​based, so bring lots of euros with you.
Mercato Trionfale isn’t cheap, generally food ins’t super-​cheap in Italy. Italian don’t eat as well as they do because their food is extremely cheap, but because they are among the countries in the world to spend the largest part of their disposable income on food.
Not that it’s super expensive, either, but depending on where in the world you’re from, you may not find that this place has dirt-​cheap items. But it is very, very good. Once you’ve tried making a humble pasta with a tomato sauce and mozzarella, with all fresh, handmade pasta, fresh tomatoes (make sure you ask the vendor which are best for a sauce, called «sugo» in Italian), you’ll never want to go back to anything else.
When you’re done with your shopping, there are a number of small cafés around the market, that may lack a bit of picturesque-​ness, but they make up for it in local charm and € 0.80 espressos. If I was to recommend one really Roman experience, especially if you have a vacation home with a kitchen you you can cook, this would be it.

I’m keen on shopping on farmers food market where everything is locally produced and super fresh. This mercato is overwhelming with fresh fishes, butchers products, dairy, some ready to eat. You will see how they treat with products or food. Enjoy watching merchants how they warmly communicate with their loyal customers.

(March 2015 Review). Great place to stop and grab snacks before and or after a Vatican visit. Lots to choose from and do not miss the «Bring your own jug/​glass» wine stall, fill with whatever choice of wine you prefer.

Ein schöner großer überdachter Wochenmarkt täglich geöffnet bis Mittag. Eine große Auswahl an frischem Gemüse Obst leckeren Schinken in diversen Sorten Fleisch, Fisch, Meerestiere, Wurst, Käse etc. Die perfekte Möglichkeit sich mitten im Rom mit frischen Produkten zu günstigen Preisen zu versorgen.

We were looking for a place to pick up a picnic lunch after visiting the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s. We got 200 gm of cheese, 100 gm each of salami and prosciutto, bread and biscotti, and fresh pears all for under 10 euros, and it fed 4 of us. We arrived between 1:30 and 2 pm, so many of the places were already closed or we would have enjoyed shopping for more things. Not many of the vendors spoke English, which made the adventure all the more exciting, using our very limited Italian and hand gestures.

I don’t cook so I did not see anything wonderful and awesome. We spent $ 30 on milk, eggs, bacon, vegetables, 4 cans of soda. Uh, that’s a lot. No wonder Europeans are so thin food costs an arm and a leg
Because of all the rave reviews on other sites, I was expecting some place fantabulous and grand. Not. Another Unilocaler was right. The markets in Spain are better. This place had veg, fruit, meat departments, but it was regular. Nothing unique or yummy foodstuffs galore. I would have preferred a chain grocery store with a cart, neat and clean yet Wholefoods quality than this mess of a place.

Cet immense marché couvert situé pas très loin du musée du Vatican est un pur régal pour les papilles. C’est un des plus grands de Rome et on y trouve vraiment tout ce qu’il faut si on veut cuisiner des produits frais. Fruits, légumes, viandes, poissons, charcuterie, fromages, pains, épices et épiceries…
Les allées sont remplies de bons produits locaux, les commerçants, comme toujours à Rome, sont super agréables. Une bonne adresse quand on est un peu fatigués des restaurants midi et soir.
Repartir avec un bon melon, du prosciutto, du fromage et du pain et aller se caler dans son appartement, sa chambre d’hotel ou un coin de pelouse ombragée. What else?

Being in Rome I confess I had great expectations of a truly superior farmers/​fishermens market loaded with all sorts of wonderful, delicious culinary ingredients but that wasn’t to be the case. There is no way Mercato Trionfale even comes close to staking up against the markets of Barcelona, Spain, Lisbon, Koln, Berlin. Worse than that, and it’s a horror to believe, but overall it is much better than the markets that can be found around my own Miami/​Fort Lauderdale area.
Yes, there are plenty of goodies to be found, but unfortunately interlaced with cheap clothing, souvenirs and general crap much the same as might be found at the Lauderdale Swap Shop.