The Night Market

Earlier this week, a friend of mine invited me to the Mercato della Terra-Bologna, a nighttime Slow Food market in the city center. I hadn’t heard much about the Slow Food movement in general so I was excited to see what it was all about. And with all the chaos of getting settled, I hadn’t really had a chance to explore Bologna at night. So we waited until the sun went down, and set off on an adventure.

We walked and walked, google mapping our way towards the unknown, finally turning down a suspicious alley and hoping that we wouldn’t be disappointed. We definitely were not.

The Mercato was quite the scene. Couples milled about from stall to stall examining cuts of organic meats and cheeses and families sat for a late dinner at the bar.

After a look around, and having a taste of a delicious organic beer, we ordered a chardonnay each from the bar and sat at one of the long communal tables. 

On our way out of the Mercato, we took a shot in the dark and turned into the nearby garden. We were determined to find the source of the heavy bass and guitar streaming through the night air. Wandering past the local university students drinking and playing cards on blankets spread over the grass, we came upon a large open green that overlooked an awesome urban park. There was a live rock band going strong, another bar, and a flea market of about 15 stalls! All tucked away amidst a massive old stone building.

I later learned that this space is the Parco del Cavaticcio, an urban renewal project that opened in 2011. The site is that of the old port of Bologna. Local partners, including the Mercato, maintain the space and there are events held there nearly everyday.

After another hour of browsing and enjoying the band, we headed home thoroughly pleased with ourselves for our ‘discovery’. The Mercato is open every Monday night during the summer, and every Saturday morning during the rest of the year. It’s located in the courtyard of the Cinema Lumière.

More about the Slow Food Movement here, very cool.