Genoa’s great covered market was raised inside a dissolved convent cloister — and was the first building in the city cast in reinforced concrete.
At a glance
The Mercato Orientale is the covered food market at the heart of modern Genoa, just off via XX Settembre. Built between 1893 and 1899 and inaugurated in 1899, it occupies the cloister of a former Augustinian convent and was one of the first buildings in the city constructed in reinforced concrete.
Key facts
- Built: 1893–1899
- Inaugurated: 1899
- Architects: Benedetto Veroggio, Claudio Bisagno, Clodoveo Cordoni
- Construction: Among the first reinforced-concrete buildings in Genoa (Hennebique system)
- Site: Cloister of the former Augustinian convent of the Consolazione
- Coordinates: 44.4057, 8.9419 — Google Maps
History
The market was built between 1893 and 1899 in the cloister of the Augustinian convent attached to the church of Nostra Signora della Consolazione, and inaugurated in 1899 to designs by Benedetto Veroggio, Claudio Bisagno and Clodoveo Cordoni.
Its construction marked a technical first for Genoa: it was among the first buildings in the city raised in reinforced concrete, using the Hennebique system then spreading across Europe. A 2019 renovation revived the market with evening food halls alongside the historic stalls.
What you see
The market keeps the ring plan of the convent cloister: stalls of fruit, fish, cheese and flowers run around a central court under a glazed roof. The contrast is the point — a sober religious courtyard turned into one of the loudest, most colourful rooms in the city.
The reinforced-concrete frame, hidden behind plaster and tile, let the builders span the wide market hall without heavy masonry piers — the quiet engineering reason the space feels so open.
Practical information
- Open market hours, Monday to Saturday; food halls extend into the evening.
- Free entry; an everyday working market, busiest in the morning.
- Allow 30–45 minutes; ideal for a tasting stop.
Getting there
The Mercato Orientale lies between via XX Settembre and via Galata, in the central commercial spine of Genoa, a few minutes’ walk from Brignole station and Piazza De Ferrari.
Nearby
- Palazzo Ducale on Piazza Matteotti
- Cathedral of San Lorenzo
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Mercato orientale”
- Comune di Genova
- Regione Liguria cultural heritage records
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