Whenever I’m in Modena, I love an early morning visit to Mercato Albinelli in the historic centre.
The covered Modena food market, with its Art Nouveau wrought iron gates, is full of locals going about their daily shopping and – though relatively small – contains all the food stuffs any household needs. There’s plenty of seasonal fruit and veg, including unusual varieties rarely seen, so always something new to discover. Best of all the stall holders are friendly, taking time to chat and offer tastings and cooking advice. Mercato Albinelli is open from 7am Monday to Saturday and definitely a highlight of any Modena food tour. It sits between Via Luigi Albinelli and Via Mondatora, with entrances on both sides and a third entrance off Piazza XX Settembre into the narrow Galleria. The main entrance is on Via Luigi Albinelli (and below directions are oriented from there, left to right); there are two extra side aisles from this entrance running only to the central fountain (aisles 1 and 5). Here’s my guide to the best stalls at Mercato Albinelli.
Bar Schiavoni
You’ll need a fortifying coffee before you start shopping, so it’s no coincidence that this hole-in-the-wall café is the first thing you’ll see on your left. Throw down an espresso at the bar, or grab one of the few seats outside. A cappuccino and glass of water at Bar Schiavoni is the best €1.60 you’ll spend in Italy – just don’t ask for it in a takeaway cup or you’ll incur the wrath of Chiara Schiavoni.
Delizie Dolci e Salata
Opposite Bar Schiavoni is a sweet shop with the most tempting array of pastries from around Italy. Whether you’re after Sicilian cannoli, Tuscan bomboloni, Neapolitan coda d’aragosta, Puglian pasticciotto, or Rome’s famous maritozzo, you’ll find it here. The only problem is trying to limit yourself to just one!
Frutta e Verdura
The fruit and vegetable stalls are concentrated in aisles 2 and 3. It’s worth browsing all of them as each tends to have something different as well as the most popular seasonal produce. Carla e Sandra (pictured top) at the top of aisle 3 has one of the best overall ranges and Zanasi, beside it in aisle 2, has a great array of wild mushrooms in season, from meaty porcini to bright orange ovoli and golden fan-shaped galletti (chanterelles).
Forno
Most of the bakers are in the Galleria, a side alley running to Piazza XX Settembre. My favourite, Banco 11, is at the corner of aisle 1. Here Massimo Boni sells excellent erbazzone (Modena’s wild greens pie, perfect for breakfast), organic bread and other goods from iconic artisanal baker Il Forno Baracca in nearby Nonantola. On the right of the Galleria, stop by Panetteria di Bedendo to check out Massimo Bedendo’s fun food-loving quotes.
Pasta Fresca
Fresh egg pasta (especially filled) is central to Modenese cuisine, and there are several pasta shops down the left side of the market. My fave is Il Piccolo Mugnaio, near the Galleria, with a colourful collection of vegetable-dyed gnocchi including deep burgundy beetroot and dark green spinach. There’s extruded passatelli (made from dry bread) and a choice of tortellini made by hand (‘piegati a mano’) or machine (‘piegati a macchina’).
Formaggio
Italians love their cheese – especially in a region known for one of the world’s great cheeses: Parmigiana. The huge counter of La Boutique de Formaggio along aisle 2 has an impressive collection of the most popular Italian cheeses, plus deli lines like giardiniera and other condiments. In the Galleria, Toma & Tomi offers a more artisanal range of Alpine and other specialty cheeses (pictured).
Salumi & Deli
Halfway along aisle 1 is Salumeria da Sergio with a range of salumi and preserves ‘sott’olio’ (under oil) e ‘sott’aceti’ (under vinegar) including olives, dried tomatoes, artichokes and anchovies. Sergio also has a few tables opposite for a snack and glass of wine. At the end of the Galleria, Antica Salumeria della Galleria sells traditional local salumi made from pork butchered in Modena and tasting packs of different aged Parmigiano.
Pesce & Carne
Porto Garibaldi Seafood in aisle 2 has an impressive selection of fresh seafood labelled with where and how it was harvested (‘nostrano’, meaning ‘ours’, is Italian). Vaccari Maurizio Polleria, at the far end of the Galleria, has bright yellow cornfed chicken as well as pork, hare, goat, wild boar and pheasant, while the specialised horse butcher (macelleria equina) is in aisle 4 near the Via Mondatora entrance.
Liquor, Flowers & Newspapers
Samuele’s liquor shop in aisle 2 is a treasure trove of hard to find Italian drinks like herbal amaro Borsci (excellent drizzled over ice cream) and Vov (Venetian eggnog). At the florist shop in aisle 3, near the Via Mondatora entrance, Simona has a beautiful array of fresh flowers, and the newspaper kiosk in aisle 4 also sells magazines, maps and guide books.
Ready-Made Meals
Bertani Gastronomia, wrapped around aisles 4 and 5, has an impressive display of ready-to-go dishes to make family dinners and entertaining easy for busy Modenese. They’re perfect for self-catering travellers and picnics too. There’s spit-roasted chickens, a wide range of fritti, huge mounds of salads, cooked vegetables, and cans of preserved fish, plus a small selection of wine.
Gastronomia
Aisle 5 is a collection of small restaurant stalls – gastronomie – open daily for lunch and for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. In the middle of them, tables and chairs sit around the old marble filleting troughs (banchi del pesce) used by the fishmongers when the market opened in 1931 and restored as part of the 2022 renovations.
Updated 22 Jan 2026
