IT'S still relatively early for tourists on a Saturday morning in Rome. But the mercato (market) in Campo Dei Fiori is already abuzz with life.
Stallholders are spruiking their wares and produce, regular clients are shopping for their needs from favoured producers, neighbours are meeting neighbours for a quick catch-up or passing buongiorno and visitors in the know are getting their fill of fresher-than-fresh ingredients for self-catered accommodation.
Staying at Piazza Navona, we have stumbled across the market to the south, just across Corsa Vittorio Emanuele II, on our way to a meeting point for a cooking course.
Little do we know as we immerse ourselves in the colour, vibrancy and aromas of the market that this also will be our first stop of the Fabiolous Cooking Class (www.fabiolouscookingday.com) and walking tour an hour later.
There, chef Fabio Bongianni helps us discover Casalino "pumpkin" tomatoes from Sicily, learn that zucchinis make a good substitute for out-of-season spinach when paired with ricotta in ravioli, and taste the plumpest cherries ever (well, at least the plumpest we've ever had in June, instead of Christmas back home), among other things.
While farmers' markets are mostly a weekend novelty on the Sunshine Coast, Italy, to her credit, has never embraced major supermarkets for everyday supplies of fruit and veg, flowers and basic supplies.
The market at Campo Dei Fiori operates daily except Sunday from early morning until about 2pm.
It's certainly my kind of "convenience store" and one I wish I could visit daily, too.
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