Market day in Tavarnelle

Tavarnelle is about 15 minutes north from Pastine where we stayed and is the last stop before the highway.  The first day we arrived, we bought our groceries in the Coop in Tavarnelle right after we got off the highway.   It's a town that we drove through many times during the week but which we never really stopped at to look.  We happened upon market day the day we were going to Greve in Chianti for lunch. 

Having been to only two Tuscan town markets, I've found them to be quite different from the ones in Provence that I visited.  They seemed to cater mainly to locals with clothing and shoes that looked like they were cheap imports rather than local made.  And many locals shopped in the markets, which, as in Provence, rotate throughout the week among the various towns.  Most of the merchandise were sold from trucks fitted to open up as stores.

Take a look at the photos below and compare them with the ones I took of markets in Provence: "Everyday is market day".  They are quite different in atmosphere and colour.

But we bought some really fresh fish, octopus and squid for dinner!

The barricaded street is usually the first indication there is a street market going on

Hello Kitty in Tuscany

Fresh vegetable plants - this is what I mean about these being for locals rather than tourists

Cheap clothing 

Wicker for the locals

Housewares

Shoes!

Lovely flowers

Catching up with the neighbours

Cheese from refrigerated trucks

Fish from refrigerated trucks!  And they were very fresh.  We waited for our number to be called as we watched him slice up the last piece of fish that we had our eyes on.  Still, when our turn came, we realize there were other fish in the fridge behind.

We had one of these for dinner...

"Polpo" (Octopus)

Nice baskets - but I'm curious why these are not coloured
The Tavernelle market was an interesting experience.  It is much smaller than the street market we visited the following day in Colle Val d'Elsa (see previous post) although they are quite similar.

This marks the end of my posts on the Tuscany countryside.  On to the big city next...