The civic market of San Benedetto: where it is and how to get there
Sardinia is a land of rich historical-cultural and naturalistic heritage and if your next destination is Cagliari you absolutely mustn’t miss out on the civic market of San Benedetto, a symbol of the ancient town called Casteddu by locals.
The civic market of San Benedetto is laid out on two levels with a total of 8000 square meters, it’s the biggest indoor market in Italy and one of the largest in Europe counting over 200 exhibitors.
On the ground floor, there is the fish department where fishermen arrive just before dawn to bring the fresh catch of fish, shellfish and molluscs from the splendid Gulf of Cagliari.
The upper floor can be reached by foot or with an elevator and holds stalls with fruit and vegetables, the biological stalls and the butcher’s ones where one can buy various kinds of meat cuts, also bakery products and traditional Sardinian sweets like seadas or other services of various genres.
The Civic market of San Benedetto is a must for all food lovers, it’s a colourful environment with a genuine and lively atmosphere full of intense fragrances of the island’s typical products.
Visiting this market is an experience immersed in the island’s folklore and gives a taste of Sardinian culture, a journey discovering the true soul of the historical city Cagliari.
The market is open to the public on the following dates at these times:
- 07.00 – 14.00 from Monday to Friday
- 07.00 – 15.00 Saturdays
- Closed on Sunday and during holidays
It’s in via Francesco Coccu Ortu 46 in the area of San Benedetto, one of the four districts of Cagliari and part of the modern part of the city easily reachable with public transport:
- bus Line M – via Bacaredda
- bus Line 6/7 – Via Cocco Ortu / Via Bacaredda / Via Tiziano
- bus Line 1 – Via Petrarca / Via Dante
- bus Line 3 – Via Petrarca / Via Dante
Dogs can enter only if kept in a leash and wearing a muzzle.
Let’s discover something more about the story of the civic market of San Benedetto.
The civic market of San Benedetto: a history of the symbolic market of Cagliari
What to see in Cagliari? Among the 10 things not to miss out on in the city of Casteddu there is certainly the market of San Benedetto which is just a few minutes walking from the city centre and the Teatro Lirico.
The civic market of San Benedetto was inaugurated on the first of June 1957 and took the place of the old Mercato del Largo (Su Mercau Becciu) which was in Largo Carlo Felice in the district of Marina.
During the first 30 years of activity, the market went through a golden moment and became a reference for all inhabitants of the island’s capital and a much-loved destination of tourists from all over the world visiting Sardinia.
The beginning of the 90s was a critical moment for the market, there were obvious deficiencies regarding structural-logistic and hygiene-sanitary aspects, also the competitive openings of malls and big supermarkets almost led to the definitive closure of the historical market.
The only way to save San Benedetto was to restore is and beat the competition. The exhibitors moved to a marquee outside the building which was then completely restored and brought up to code with electricity, plumbing, sewage facilities and conditioning.
The San Benedetto market has 8000 square meters of spaces laid out on two floors and has 238 exhibitors, meanwhile, the outside of the building is surrounded by many stalls where one can buy clothes, crockery, various cooking utensils, home decor, plants and flowers.
On the website of Cagliari municipality, it says the structure also hosts the “direction offices of the civic markets which surveil the function and control the administrative and disciplinary part”.
The famous fish department, the vast variety of products, the wide choice of takeaway and Sardinian street food make the civic market of San Benedetto an unforgettable place for all food lovers wanting to discover the secrets of Sardinia’s culinary traditions.
