Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, Food market in Florence, Italy

The Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio occupies a cast-iron and glass pavilion on Piazza Ghiberti, designed by Giuseppe Mengoni on a smaller scale than his Mercato Centrale. Masonry walls rise about three metres, divided by cast-iron columns that support the upper iron panels and roof grilles for ventilation. Stalls operate partly outdoors and partly under the hall.

The market building was put up in 1873, shortly after Florence had served as Italy's capital and the city was going through major urban changes. Its covered iron structure drew from the Parisian market halls of that era, a model that was spreading across Europe at the time.

The market takes its name from the nearby church of Sant'Ambrogio and sits in a neighborhood where locals actually shop. The vendors know their regulars by name, and it quickly becomes clear that this is not a tourist destination but a working part of daily life.

The market is best visited in the morning when the stalls are fully stocked and the selection is at its widest. It is worth walking both the inner hall and the outdoor stalls around the building to get a full picture.

The four open-sided shelters around the main pavilion were added because the 1873 building proved too small for the district; they have no decorative design and serve as a car park outside market hours. The iron and glass hall itself was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni, who also built the Mercato Centrale, but on a much smaller scale.