Mercato settimanale di Nizza Monferrato

Why it's special

This is the town's weekly shop rather than a show for visitors, and people drive in from the surrounding villages for it. It runs between two squares at either end of the old Via Maestra: the food and farmers' stalls in Piazza XX Settembre, which locals still call the piazza della verdura (the vegetable square), and the clothing and household stalls around the arcaded Piazza Garibaldi.

• Don't plan on parking in Piazza Garibaldi on a Friday: the town's biggest car park is full of stalls.
• The comune suggests the free bays on Viale Giovanni XXIII or at Regione Campolungo, a few minutes' walk from the centre.
• Pay-and-display bays in the centre cost €1 an hour, Monday to Saturday, 8:00–13:00 and 15:00–20:00.
• Do the food shopping in Piazza XX Settembre first, then walk up Via Carlo Alberto to the clothes and household stalls in Piazza Garibaldi.
• When Friday is a public holiday, check the comune's news page: in 2020 the Christmas and New Year markets were moved to the Thursday before.

Nizza's market day is Friday. Every Friday morning, all year, stalls fill the two squares at either end of Via Carlo Alberto, the old Via Maestra that runs through the centre: food in one square, clothes and household goods in the other. It's where the town and the villages around it do their weekly shopping.

When

• Fridays, mornings only. Market listings give 8:00 to 13:00. The comune doesn't publish an official timetable, so treat those times as a guide and aim to be there before noon.
• Wednesdays, a smaller produce market. A few fruit and vegetable stalls set up in Piazza XX Settembre. We haven't found published hours for it.
• Public holidays. When a holiday falls on a Friday, the comune can move the market by ordinance. In 2020, when Christmas Day and New Year's Day were both Fridays, it moved them to Thursday 24 and Thursday 31 December. The calendar repeats in 2026–27: 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 are both Fridays, so check the comune's news page in December.

Where the stalls are

• Piazza XX Settembre: food. Fruit and vegetables, farmers and the food stalls. Officially it's the town's farmers' market square, and locals still call it the piazza della verdura, the vegetable square.
• Piazza Garibaldi: clothing and household goods. Stalls cover the square itself and the arcaded edges around it, next to the Foro Boario. The comune also keeps a few seasonal pitches here for farmers.
• Via Carlo Alberto. More stalls along the street between the two squares and towards the town hall square, Piazza Martiri di Alessandria.

The two squares are about 400 m apart, an easy walk along Via Carlo Alberto.

Parking

On Friday mornings Piazza Garibaldi, normally the biggest car park in the centre, is taken up by the market, and the paid ring around Piazza XX Settembre isn't available on market days either. When shopkeepers complained about Friday parking, the comune pointed drivers to the town's free white bays a short walk from the centre, on Viale Giovanni XXIII or at Regione Campolungo. Via Fiume, by the Unes supermarket, is another option.

If you'd rather park closer, the comune's pay-and-display areas include Via Pio Corsi, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II and the Lungo Belbo car park on Via Cirio. They cost €1 an hour, Monday to Saturday, from 8:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 20:00 (coins or Gratta e Sosta scratch cards).

What's in season

Because Piazza XX Settembre is the farmers' square, what's on the stalls follows the local calendar. The one to look for is the Cardo Gobbo, the "hunchback" cardoon grown on the sandy soils around Nizza and a Slow Food presidium. It's harvested from early October to February, and it's the one cardoon you eat raw, dipped in bagna cauda. We can't promise a grower will have it on a given Friday. The comune's monthly farmers' market (below) lists it among its specialities, along with Robiola di Roccaverano and Montebore cheese.

November is when the town celebrates its cardoon and bagna cauda: the Fiera di San Carlo comes in the first week and Nizza è Bagna Cauda on the third weekend.

Other markets in Nizza

On the third Sunday of every month Piazza Garibaldi hosts the Mercatino dell'Antiquariato Nicese, one of the biggest antiques markets in the area. The same day, a farmers' market runs along Via Carlo Alberto and under the Piazza Garibaldi arcades, with producers from all over Piedmont. More about the town on the Nizza Monferrato page.

FAQ

What day is the market in Nizza Monferrato?

Friday. The main market runs every Friday morning all year, and a smaller fruit and vegetable market sets up in Piazza XX Settembre on Wednesdays.

What time does the Nizza Monferrato market start?

Listings give 8:00 to 13:00. It's a morning market and the comune publishes no official hours, so arrive before noon.

Where is the Friday market in Nizza Monferrato?

Food and produce are in Piazza XX Settembre. Clothing and household stalls are in Piazza Garibaldi and along Via Carlo Alberto, the street that joins the two squares.

Where can I park on market day?

Not in Piazza Garibaldi, which is full of stalls. Use the free bays on Viale Giovanni XXIII or at Regione Campolungo, or the €1-an-hour pay-and-display bays on Via Pio Corsi or the Via Cirio riverside car park.

Is the market on when Friday is a public holiday?

It may be moved. In 2020 the comune moved the Christmas Day and New Year's Day markets to the Thursdays before; both fall on a Friday again in 2026–27, so check the comune's news page in December.