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Discover the San Benedetto Market in Cagliari
Mara Noveni
Published in July 2019
Cambara, cambara e maccioni, pisci urrè, sparedda e mummungioni! (Shrimps, prawns and balls, damsels, bream and murmurs)
This is a famous thread in Cagliari (especially typical during the carnival period) which helps us understand how the fish market and the fishmonger trade are rooted in the Sardinian social life.
Picture © Credits to Mara Noveni
The culinary culture of a city is the best way to get to know its people; if this is always true, it certainly applies perfectly to a place of gourmets, like Sardinia. Among the many renowned markets, the most famous one is the San Benedetto Market, which offers the opportunity to discover and capture the true spirit of Cagliari.
Mercato di San Benedetto
Via Francesco Cocco Ortu, Cagliari CA, Italy
Cagliari is exceptionally equipped with fresh goods, especially fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables. In the city, there are five municipal markets useful for the daily shopping of foodstuffs. They play a crucial role in the Italian daily routine because they identify the local culture and its tradition.
The markets of Cagliari opened at the end of the 1950s, although in Largo Carlo Felice there was already a city market, which unfortunately was destroyed by a bombing during the Second World War. To date, more than 600 small businesses operate in the municipal markets of Cagliari.
Each market has its distinctive character; however, the market of San Benedetto with its 8000 square meters is the largest, the most known and the most popular. It is known that this market is the largest covered food market in Italy, as well as one of the first ones in Europe. In this place full of scents and colors, the merchants are very friendly without being aggressive or intrusive towards potential buyers.
Outside the market, there are some stalls selling clothes, household items, plants, and flowers. All around the square you can find typical shops, such as "La Spiga e il Grano," specialized in bread and Sardinian sweets, "Pasticceria Piemontese" and "Bar Pasticceria Pirani," where you can take a pleasant break for breakfast, an aperitif or a sweet-tasting.
La Spiga e l'Uovo
Via Francesco Cocco Ortu, 53, 09128 Cagliari CA, Italy
Pasticceria Piemontese
Pasticceria Pirani
Via Antonio Pacinotti, 11, 09128 Cagliari CA, Italy
The Fish Market
On the ground floor, you can find, in addition to the traditional fish market products, goods, and foods processed locally, that can not be found elsewhere. Such examples are the red shrimp of Villasimius (excellence of the territory,) tasty and tender Mediterranean lobsters (which are among the best in the world), tuna or mullet bottarga, dried fish eggs used to season traditional Sardinian dishes, Carloforte's red tuna (which is precious and very expensive) and so on…
The first floor of the market
On the first floor, there are the butchery, fruit and vegetable, bread, sweets, and other local products. The colors of fruit and vegetables create a mix reminiscent of the rainbow and special attention to seasonal products, and zero-kilometer products is always a priority.
The meat in Sardinia occupies a privileged place: first of all the pig, which is never missing from the holiday tables and anniversaries. Horse and lamb meat is also very popular. Even cheese occupies a prominent place in regional production and consumption: excellent Sardinian pecorino, fresh ricotta, fresh cheese, and dairy products are a crucial part in the Italian gastronomy.
In addition to traditional products, some stalls on the first floor offer organic products, honey, cooked take-away products & other local gastronomy options.
So, when in Cagliari, do not forget to take a walk around the San Benedetto area, to taste the real Sardinian life and flavors.
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My name is Mara, I am Italian, born in Rome and raised in the wonderful Tuscany. Always in love with reading and writing, I completed this way of expressing myself through photography, especially street and travel photography. Thanks to my many and long travel experiences, I have enriched my mind and my inner life.
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