Living in Florence changes the way you shop for food; it becomes less about convenience and more about culture. Not because you have to adapt — but because you want to.
There is a particular pleasure that comes with living in a city where food is not convenience — it is culture. In Florence, the morning ritual of stopping at a salumeria for fresh pasta, or at a small bottega for a piece of aged Pecorino wrapped in paper rather than plastic, quickly becomes the kind of thing you cannot imagine giving up. This is a city that takes its food seriously, and that seriousness is, quietly, one of the greatest gifts of life here.
For those arriving from cities where good food requires effort — a special trip, a specific shop, a reservation — Florence comes as a pleasant surprise. Quality is simply the standard. The question is only knowing where to look.
The Markets
Mercato Centrale is the most iconic, and rightly so. When you are living in Florence, the Mercato Centrale becomes your pantry. Housed in a magnificent 19th-century iron and glass structure in the San Lorenzo district, its ground floor remains entirely dedicated to the serious business of fresh produce, meat, cheese, and fish. The quality is excellent, the choice extraordinary. Go in the morning, when everything is at its best, and take your time. There is no rushing in a place like this.
For those who prefer something quieter and more neighbourhood-facing, the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio — just east of the centre in one of Florence’s most genuinely local areas — is a revelation. Stall holders know their regulars. Conversations are unhurried. A punnet of strawberries in May, or a bunch of cavolo nero in November, tastes like nothing you have ever bought from a supermarket. This is where the city’s residents actually shop, and there is something quietly wonderful about becoming one of them.
Beyond the central markets, Florence rewards those who explore. Each neighbourhood has its own rhythm: the Oltrarno, for instance, has retained a genuinely artisan character, and its small food shops reflect that. You will find excellent bread bakeries, independent fishmongers, and delis where the person behind the counter has an opinion on everything — and is usually right. In Fiesole and the surrounding hills, farm shops and local producers sell directly to residents, and the olive oil and wine available this way is exceptional.
The Supermarkets — Better Than You Might Expect
It would be easy to assume that supermarkets have no place in a city like this, but that would be to miss something important. The Coop, in particular, is a genuinely impressive operation, one of the surprises of living in Florence is how impressive the local Coop supermarkets are. As a consumer cooperative with deep roots in Tuscany, it has long-standing relationships with local producers and farmers — meaning that what you find on its shelves is often of far higher quality than what you would encounter in a typical supermarket elsewhere in Europe. Regional cheeses, local wines, Tuscan olive oil, seasonal vegetables sourced from nearby — the Coop takes its regional identity seriously, and it shows.
Esselunga, the other major supermarket chain present in Florence, is well-stocked, efficient, and reliable — particularly useful for the weekly shop and for imported goods that are harder to find in smaller stores. Between the two, and with a handful of trusted specialist suppliers for the things that really matter, day-to-day life is remarkably well served.
The Rhythm of the Day
Daily life in Florence has a pace that rewards those who choose to embrace it. The morning belongs to the bar — a standing espresso, perhaps a cornetto, a brief exchange with whoever is behind the counter. It is the social glue of the city, and no amount of home brewing quite replicates it. By late morning, the serious shopping is done: the best cuts go early, the freshest vegetables are claimed before noon. Lunch, in many households, remains the main meal. And by mid-afternoon, the city quietly exhales.
Sundays are still largely observed as a day of rest. Most small shops are closed, and while the larger supermarkets now open on Sunday mornings, it is worth building a weekly routine that doesn’t depend on it. This is not an inconvenience so much as an invitation — to slow down, to plan a little, to shop with intention rather than urgency.
August is worth a mention too, though it needs its own context. Ferragosto — the Italian summer holiday centred around August 15th — empties the city of its residents, and many small businesses close for two to four weeks. The markets thin out, some of the best delis shut entirely, and the city takes on a different character. Tourists remain; locals largely do not. For new residents, this can come as a surprise. The good news is that the supermarkets remain open, and the city still functions perfectly well. It is simply a reminder that Florence operates on its own terms — and that, once you understand those terms, they are really quite agreeable.
A Life Built Around the Table
What surprises my clients most, once they have settled in, is not the beauty of the city — they expected that. It is the everyday quality of life. The fact that a Tuesday evening meal, cooked from produce bought that morning at Sant’Ambrogio, can be genuinely extraordinary. That the olive oil in the cupboard came from a farm twenty minutes away. That the wine with dinner cost eight euros and was excellent. Ultimately, living in Florence means building a life around the table.
This is a city that rewards those who invest in it. The more you engage with its rhythms, its people, and its extraordinary food culture, the more it gives back. And that, perhaps more than anything else, is why the people who move here so rarely want to leave.
If you would like to know more about life in Florence — including finding the right home in the right neighbourhood — I would love to hear from you.