Mercato Ritrovato: Bologna’s farmers market with soul

The scent of fresh bread mixes with roasted coffee and the chatter of shoppers in the courtyard of Bologna’s Cineteca.

Baskets filled with greens, wheels of cheese, and a few hens clucking somewhere between the stalls.

A guitarist strums under a tree while a vendor passes a slice of pecorino to a curious child.

Among all Bologna food markets, Mercato Ritrovato is the one that best captures the city’s heart — a place where chefs, students, and farmers share the same table.

👉 Read also: The 5 Food Markets of Bologna

What is Mercato Ritrovato

A farmers’ market born in a film yard

Set inside the courtyard of the Cineteca di Bologna, the city’s film archive, Mercato Ritrovato feels like a movie scene — only the extras are real people and the script smells of sourdough.

The Cineteca di Bologna is one of the most respected film archives in Europe.

It restores old movies, runs the Modernissimo Cinema, and hosts open-air screenings in Piazza Maggiore every summer.
It’s also home to this market: a meeting point between culture and countryside.

Born in 2008 from a Slow Food idea, Mercato Ritrovato aims to “rediscover” the bond between farmers and citizens.
That’s where its name comes from — ritrovato means “found again.”

It’s not just a market, it’s where Bologna rediscovered its roots — hence the name Ritrovato, the rediscovered one.

You’ll meet chefs picking fresh butter, families tasting honey, students on bikes, and tourists surprised by how local it all feels.

You won’t find souvenirs here, but you’ll find what Bologna really tastes like.

What to eat and buy

Seasonal produce you won’t find anywhere else

Every season brings a new color palette.
In autumn, stalls fill with porcini mushrooms, pumpkins, and the smell of chestnuts roasting on open flames.
Spring turns everything red and green: strawberries, cherries, asparagus, and tender peas straight from the fields.

Some products are rare even for locals: butter from the white Modenese cow, Mora Romagnola pork, heritage grains, and ricotta so fresh it still trembles.

You’ll also find eggs laid by a few happy hens that live right at the market — proof that “farm to table” can literally mean a few meters.

Every stall tells a story — sometimes in dialect.

Street food corners & picnic mood

Not every visit has to involve shopping.
You can simply eat your way through the market — and trust me, that’s a fine plan.

Start with a plate of lasagne or gramigna al ragù from Sfoglia Rina, one of Bologna’s most beloved pasta makers.

If you’re feeling seaside nostalgia, head to Pescevia for grilled squid or Adriatic seafood skewers that smell like a summer lunch on the coast.

Craft beer lovers shouldn’t miss Ca’ del Brado, a small local brewery known for its wild fermentations and playful labels.

Prefer something plant-based? La Zappa e il Mestolo makes veggie burgers that even die-hard carnivores stop for.

And when you think you’re done — you’re not.
End on a scoop from Stefino, one of the best gelaterie in Bologna, where chocolate tastes like the real thing and pistachio comes straight from Sicily.

When the market becomes a feast

Every week, Mercato Ritrovato turns into something more than a farmers’ market.
There’s always live music, sometimes puppet shows, and workshops — from traditional stampa romagnola printing to eco-friendly cooking classes.

It’s also one of the few Bologna markets where kids can safely run around, feed the hens, or paint at the craft tables.

If you’re traveling with family, don’t miss our guide:
👉 What to do with kids in Bologna

Where and when it happens

Location & opening hours

📍 Piazzetta Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bologna
🕘 Saturdays 9 am – 2 pm
🕠 Wednesdays 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm (April–October)

How to get there

It’s a 15-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore, or 10 minutes from the train station.
Take a bike or a Mobike — you’ll blend right in.

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