Modena Shopping

2 more images

Walking back from Mercato Albinelli toward Piazza Maggiore my eyes were captured by the little window of this shop. When I walked closed the smell capture me even more!
They sell every kind of tea, coffee, candy, chocolate and spices. The shop is original from the '40 and still has the wooden shelves and the counter as it was.
Teas and spices are saved in glass jars and it is a joy just to stand in the middle of it.

What to buy: Tea and coffee from oll over the world, spices, chocolate, traditional Modena liquor, Balsamic vinegar.

What to pay: You pay for high quality product, so it does not really matter.
100 grams of White tea was 3.50 euros.

4 more images

The covered market "Mercato Albinelli" is where you have to go if you have interest in food, no matter if you like to cook or just eat, this is the place for you.
The building have an interesting architechture and have been inaugurated in 1931. In the middle of it there is a statue of a girl and a little fountain.
The sides are a line of butchers, cheese and pasta shops. In the middle there are lots of different fruits and vegetables stand, a couple of fish stand and several stand selling cooked food to take away.
It is full of colors and smells and it will wake up your sense.

It is open every day 6.30/14.30 Saturday also 16.30/19.30.

What to buy: Vegetables, fruits, spices, cheese, meat, handmade pasta, bread, flowers and plants.
Street food, precooked food, wine, traditional balsamic vinegar.

What to pay: Less than in a supermarker and the product will be fresher.

3 more images

You can smell this shop from the street as they roast coffee, besides having spices that locals seek for food preparation. When you enter the shop it is like going back in time, not only do your eyes see how shops once were in Italy, but your senses smell the history of Modena.
Don't miss the chance to spend even 5 minutes back in time!
There are fewer and fewer of these kinds of shops in northern Italy, as many older shop owners leave the business and their shops are renovated into a New York look alike. Once made into a shiny, black and chrome spectacle the old look of Italy cannot be brought back.

What to buy: They have teas, too.
Look for balsamic vinegars here. They will help you find the one right for your budget.
The people who work this shop, are really friendly, and will tell you about the history of their shop if you ask.

What to pay: average prices

1 more image

This area, famous for balsamic vinegar, is a paradise for cooks and people who want to take home a nice gift for a friend of relative.
You will so so many displays of balsamic vinegar that it will be difficult to choose....and there are tastings, too, which might help you decide which is best.
The older the vinegar the higher the cost. It is made by decanting each year and placing into a smaller barrel because of dehydration, which makes the vinegar more intense in flavor. At the end of 20 years or more, they will have less vinegar in a much smaller barrel, making what is left more precious and more costly.
If you can arrange a visit to a farm that makes this wonderful tasting product, be sure and go.

What to buy: Featured are some photos of balsamic vinegar displays with prices and age.

4 more images

The market is the daily stop for the citizens of Modena. It is the place to find things they need to cook their food, from balsamic vinegar made locally, to all types of vegetables.

What to buy: You can find numerous types of cheese, wine and meat products, too.

What to pay: average prices... no bargaining.

Second hand markets are not so popular in Italy and to go and sell like Americans do in their garage, estate and yard sales is rather new for us. Fortunately, the mentality is changing so it is more and more common to go to empy own's cellar or garage. I went yesterday for the first time in my life and found it as a fantastic idea to give another life to second hand things!

It is a huge parking lot where you (seller) can enter with your own car; for 6 euros you will get the area where you can put your things.

Every first Sunday of the Month, from sunrise to sunset

What to buy: Everything except for animals, weapons and gold.

4 more images

This is the perfect local shop to stock up on Emilia-Romagna’s local wine, Lambrusco. Also, this shop sells a wide range of Modena’s famous vinegar, aceto balsamico, aged anywhere from three to 100 years. It is possible to taste the various vintages of vinegar here.

The web site is in Italian only.

1 more image

As everyone knows, Modena is famous for its balsamic vinegar. Naturally, it is one of the most available shopping items all around the city, and there is certainly a greater variety of it than elsewhere around the world. It is therefore a nice "souvenir" to buy and a perfect gift to bring back after a visit to Modena. Attached are two photos of shops selling balsamic vinegar of Modena (aceto balsamico).