If it's raining we head to the Mercato Centrale

Last Wednesday our trip to paint in the Boboli Gardens was thwarted by rain, so instead we headed to the Mercato Centrale. We were a little short in numbers as three members of our class caught the cold that is spreading around like wildfire. So, the few and the hardy spent an hour sketching and taking photos before heading back to our main studio classroom on Via del Moro to paint. The Mercato Centrale is a large cast-iron building that dates back to 1874. It is filled, and I mean filled with stalls of vendors selling, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, meats of every description and variety, breads, cheeses, and the list goes on and on. It's literally a delight visually and gastronomically. In addition to being surrounded by all this fresh food- you can buy made to order delicious panini and eat right there. Though the photos don't show it, the place is absolutely packed with people. And this is only one of a number of markets in the city; this one just happens to be closest to the studio. If you want to read some more about markets in Florence check out,www.aboutflorence.com/typical-markets-in-Florence
Well enough writing about it, here are some pictures.