Top quality Senese products at Market in Piazza del Campo
Posted on 18. Nov, 2010 by admin in Archive, Events, Handicraft
Do you want to know how a medieval market was, an essential meeting point for commerce and relationship?
In Siena, the next 4th and 5th of December, it will be possible to live the same atmosphere, just in Piazza del Campo, where was the weekly market in XIII century.
Here will be “Il Mercato nel Campo”, an historical reconstruction and festival of local handicrafts.
Is useful to better know the history of Piazza del Campo, before you go to this market, that enhance the top quality products of this area. The square, one of a kind for the seashell form, was used as a representation of public power and as a market about in the middle of XII century, when the consul of Siena bought some pieces of land in the area of the current Campo.
Until 1270,during the Government of Ventiquattro, the square hosts marketplace and festivals, then started the paving (in 1327, during the Government of Nove) that will shape to Piazza del Campo as it is today.
The Government of Siena, through the centuries, standardized the surrounding landscape, that is the outlines of the close palaces.
The so-called “Big Marketplace” was happened once a week at Piazza del Campo and hosted a lot of sellers that offered many kind of products.
The most sought-after was called “treccola”, the seller of vegetables, legumes, but also animal products like milk, eggs and cheese. There was many “carnaioli”, that sold meat and game, and was relevant the role of the “pizzicatoli”, that sold cold cuts and spices.
There were a lot of farmers that sold products from their garden, artisans as cobblers and cloth sellers, barrels and baskets sellers.
Today like yesterday, the 152 stands will be displace with the same traditional alignment and the same distinction between two areas (grocery and commodity), with an area dedicated to the children shows.
In detail, the farmers will have stands close to via del Porrione, the other hand-crafted activities will be near the center of the square.
Other historical craftsmen will be at the marketplace: pastry chefs, wine, honey, saffron merchants, goldsmiths, bookbinders.
Furthermore, some craftsmen will perform their works on site, and every afternoon at 2:00 pm the waders will do a show for children.
During the festival you will can join a tour guide to discover other places in Siena and appreciate the local specialties; a very rich program that will can be an original idea for your Christmas presents.
“Il Mercato nel Campo” will finish at 8:00 pm with fireworks that will light up the Senese sky, the better way to remember a popular festival so important in the history of this city.
For information about the program, visit the official site:
