Living in the Prati section of town, on Tuesdays I’ll walk over to the Flower Market. Located only a few blocks from our apartment, this market has the largest variety and lowest prices of any flower market on our side of town. The Mercato dei Fiori is located on Via Trionfale, at the end of Via Giordano Bruno. Quite a coincidence since the dark, brooding statue in Campo de Fiori – known also as the “field of flowers” – is of…. Giordano Bruno. He was burned at the stake in Campo de Fiori by authorities in 1600 after the Roman Inquisition found him guilty of heresy.
This nondescript building houses the market.
The exact location of the Mercato dei Fiori is marked by the red marker on this map.
The blue marker on the map represents the Mercato Trionfale, the huge food market located here in Prati. We’re fortunate live close to both! As you can see, they are both quite accessible by metro stations, Ottaviano and Cipro. At the bottom of the Google Map you can see the street, Viale Vaticano. For a reference point, this is the street the entrance to the Vatican Museums is on.
Outside, the building is pretty ugly… but inside it’s incredible. The market is primarily for wholesale flower sales. Many web sites list the “operating hours” as 10:30 – 13:00. That’s not really true if you’re looking for cut flowers. The top floor contains the vendors for cut flowers. The pictures below are taken about 9:30 AM and if you look you can see many empty stalls. Trust me, they were full at 7 AM. Because these vendors sell primarily to businesses, they are usually packed up and gone by 10 AM! So if you wait till 10:30 to get cut flowers there will be slim pickings. Many websites also say that you can only get flowers on Tuesdays… also not true. If you’re polite and patient, these vendors will sell to you on any day. But they ARE GOING to take care of their business customers first. After all, you’re buying one bouquet, the businesses are buying hundreds at a time! You can get some incredible deals on all kinds of cut flowers but you’ll have to wait until they have completed their “business” transactions.
Early mornings, you’ll see many trucks, vans, and Piaggo Ape 50′s pulling up and making their purchases. Those folks that try and sell you roses at the Spanish Steps… probably bought their flowers here for about 5-10 cents each.
In the lower level of the market is the “potted” plant section. Here you’ll find azaleas, hanging plants, spices, trees, verbena, rose bushes, mums, etc. On Tuesdays this place is packed by 8 AM… so again, I’m not sure I’d wait till 10 AM. You’ll see in the pictures below “price tags.” The vendors put these out on Tuesdays only… for their non-business customers.
You can get full flats of beautiful plants for under €8. For locals, this is the place to go. And the variety, size of the plants, and beauty are unmatched in Rome. So if you’re looking for a great diversion, get up early and head for the Mercato dei Fiori.
Food is a HUGE priority in Italy. When in Rome, eat as the Romans do! Discover the hidden gourmet joys of eating and drinking in Rome just like the locals. Above is a collection of books, guides, and videos on food in Italy. Click on any to get more information. For more travel accessories, head to our Travel Store, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, or look in amazon.com. Non-USA Guests can search for travel accessories at amazon.co.uk.
Food is a HUGE priority in Italy. When in Rome, eat as the Romans do! Discover the hidden gourmet joys of eating and drinking in Rome just like the locals. Above is a collection of books, guides, and videos on food in Italy. Click on any to get more information. For more travel accessories, head to our Travel Store, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, or look in amazon.com. Non-USA Guests can search for travel accessories at amazon.co.uk.
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Header: Mercato Fiori – Photo by romeoergatto
Hi, thanks for this, I have just moved in about 3 blocks from the market and wasnt sure of the details for selling to the public, thanks!! I can now fill up my window boxes. Any good suggestions for eating and drinking in Prati, seems that Testaccio is where its all at…! I would love to know of a good local aperitivo bar thats not too touristy or pricey! Thanks,Fleur
This post is so helpful – thanks for all the details. I’m getting married in Rome in October and wanted to make my own bouquet, but kept getting different days and times on different websites for this market. Now, i’m going to be a lot more confident going in there as early as i can make it on a Tuesday – thank you!