30 Minute Italian

Rachel and I walked behind Giacomo, Mary, and Hannah as we snaked our way through the Sant'Ambrogio market in Florence. Giacomo, our cooking teacher and chef, was leading us to a vegetable stall to buy ingredients for the meal we were going to make that afternoon. Deep, red radishes and green lettuce covered with droplets of water stood on display with signs displaying il prezzo, l’origine, la varietà, and la categoria. I watched him pick up cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, placing each in their own brown bag before handing them to the fruttivendolo. If you’re in Italy, I’m 110% sure that you’re going to run into some kind of open market, whether that’s inside or outside. And when you do (hopefully when you’re on our Not Your Typical Tourist Language Immersion Retreat), what are you supposed to say and do so you get what you want and avoid making una brutta figura? Here’s a quick guide on vocabulary, phrases to know and the etiquette to follow. Basic Market Vocabulary First, there are a handful of different t