Markets in L'Aquila Province
From the daily mercato in Piazza Duomo in L'Aquila city to the high mountain villages of the Marsica and the Alto Sangro. Around ninety weekly markets across the largest, highest, and most rural of Abruzzo's four provinces.
Find a Market Today
Full events calendar →Filter by day, by attribute (covered, farmers), or type your nearest town to see markets within driving distance. The province is large and mountain markets can be 60 to 90 minutes apart, so allow extra time.
Today's markets in L'Aquila
Markets near me
Where to Start
If you've never been to a market in L'Aquila province, three places give you the strongest first impression. L'Aquila city in Piazza Duomo runs Monday to Saturday and is the daily heartbeat of the capoluogo, with fruit, vegetables, fish, flowers, clothes, and household goods around the cathedral square. Sulmona on Wednesday and Saturday combines the historic centre, the confetti tradition (sugared almonds since the 1400s), and Peligna valley produce in one walkable trip. Avezzano on Wednesday and Saturday is the Marsican powerhouse, serving the basin's 40,000-plus residents with a wide bancarella spread and good parking around the centre.
Markets by Day
Monday
Aielli, Canistro, Cansano, Castel del Monte, Castellafiume, Goriano Sicoli, L'Aquila (Piazza Duomo, daily Mon-Sat), Lecce dei Marsi, Magliano de' Marsi, Montereale (daily), Secinaro.
Tuesday
Alfedena, Barisciano, Campotosto, Cansano, Castelvecchio Subequo, Civitella Alfedena, Collarmele, Collelongo, Corfinio, L'Aquila (Piazza Duomo), Montereale, Morino, Ofena, Pacentro, Pescina, Pescocostanzo, Pizzoli, Prezza, Rocca di Botte, Roccacasale, San Vincenzo Valle Roveto, Sante Marie, Scanno.
Wednesday
Ateleta, Avezzano, Balsorano, Barrea, Carsoli, Castel del Monte, Civita d'Antino, Collepietro, L'Aquila (Piazza Duomo), Montereale, Ortucchio, Pescasseroli, Rocca di Mezzo, Roccaraso, Sulmona.
Thursday
Castel di Sangro, Cerchio, Gioia dei Marsi, Introdacqua, L'Aquila (Piazza Duomo), Montereale, Ovindoli, Raiano, Rivisondoli, Tagliacozzo.
Friday
Alfedena, Campo di Giove, Campotosto, Capestrano, Castelvecchio Subequo, Celano, Civitella Roveto, Corfinio, L'Aquila (Piazza Duomo), Luco dei Marsi, Montereale, Pereto, Pratola Peligna, Prezza, San Demetrio ne' Vestini, Trasacco, Villetta Barrea, Vittorito.
Saturday
Acciano, Avezzano, Barisciano, Barrea, L'Aquila (Piazza Duomo), Montereale, Opi, Rocca di Cambio, Sulmona.
Sunday
Capistrello, Cappadocia, Civita d'Antino, Montereale, Raiano, San Benedetto dei Marsi, Villavallelonga.
The Mountain Summer
L'Aquila province doesn't get the coastal summer market expansion that Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti enjoy, but the high mountain towns come alive between June and September. Pescocostanzo, Roccaraso, Rivisondoli, and Pescasseroli see their populations multiply with summer visitors, and the weekly markets swell with extra stalls. Scanno, with its black wool costumes and silver filigree heart-shaped pendants (the presentosa), runs its Tuesday market through the season. Castel del Monte and Calascio become weekend pilgrimage sites for hikers heading up to Rocca Calascio and the Campo Imperatore plateau, with porchetta vans and cheese stalls clustering around the main piazze. The mountain calendar is more about sagre than scheduled markets, though, which we'll cover in the Abruzzo Living Calendar.
Beyond the Weekly Markets
The single biggest market event in L'Aquila province isn't a weekly market at all. It's the Fiera dell'Epifania on 5 January in L'Aquila city, a tradition dating back to 1303, with around 295 stands filling viale Gran Sasso, piazza Battaglione Alpini, via Malta, via Castello, via Tagliacozzo, via Signorini Corsi, via Panfilo Tedeschi, and piazza San Bernardino. Around 25,000 visitors come for it. Beyond that, every village has its patronal feast day with extra bancarelle, the autumn truffle and porcini fairs, the late-summer Transumanza days marking the return of the flocks from Campo Imperatore. The Abruzzo Living Calendar will cover all of these in detail.
The Daily Market in L'Aquila
Most weekly markets in the province run one day per week. L'Aquila city is the exception. The mercato in Piazza Duomo runs Monday through Saturday morning, year-round, and is the most reliable place in the province for fresh produce, fish brought up from Pescara, regional cheeses, and seasonal porcini and tartufi in autumn. The market was suspended for many years after the 2009 earthquake while the piazza was rebuilt, returning in stages. Now it sits framed by the restored cathedral and the Palazzo Margherita, with cafe tables spilling out from the surrounding bars. Saturday is the largest and busiest day. Wednesday tends to be the quietest. Whatever day you go, arrive before noon for the best of everything.
Market Etiquette
Cash is still king at most stalls. Bring a shopping bag (Italian buste or canvas) since plastic isn't always supplied. Vegetables and fruit are sold by the etto (100g) or kilo; herbs and salad leaves often by the mazzo (bunch). Saying "posso assaggiare?" before tasting cheese, olives, or salumi is normal and welcomed. Stallholders open between 07:30 and 08:00 and start packing up around 13:00 in summer, slightly earlier in winter. In the high mountain villages, expect markets to compress further when the weather turns: many start at 08:00 and are over by 11:30.
Markets in Other Provinces
All Abruzzo markets →Around 280 weekly markets across the region. Use the regional hub for the full filterable map, or jump straight to another province.
