Both locals and tourists come to enjoy the vivid atmosphere and spend some hours to choose among the market products. Tented stalls display a large array of local farm produce, tempting fruit and vegetables, cheese and fresh-caught ocean delicacies. Early in the morning you can observe how the locals buy spices and ingredients for their daily meals. Many vendors inherit the business from their ex-generations, with the grandparents who do the farming, parents – the harvesting and the children selling the produce on the market. Probably this occupation will not last for long, since the Italians nowadays prefer fast food and take out. In the past, the community had everything it needed – a baker, a butcher, artisans and the vegetable market for fresh vegetables and fruits. These days, however, Trastevere district is changing – there are American expatriates who go to the bars instead to the bakeries and to the fashion stores rather than butchers. Thus, the market in Trastevere is threatened to disappear, like many other open-air markets in Rome.

The Fountain of the Barrel, a charming little fountain makes this area even more attractive. It was built in 1927 by Pietro Lombardi to give particular character to this place. The designer’s idea is that people who go to the taverns and wine shops are reflected in a barrel that is placed on a cart, used in the past to transport the wine. There is a hole in the centre of the barrel, from where water pours out and is gathered in a basin below. An interesting fact is that on each side of the barrel there are two wine measurers, which are still used nowadays in the Roman taverns.

The Trastevere Market offers also opportunities for the hungry visitors. Italian food is obviously among the best in the world and in Trastevere there are local spots to eat well at low price. Among them are Da Corrado, situated some metres down from Caffé del Cinque, a bistro with typical Italian atmosphere of cosiness and hospitality. La Boccaccia is another place to take delicious pizza by the slice, you can reach it when you go straight from Checco. Il Duca serves pizzafrom a wood-burning oven in a delightful setting.