The Blonde Abroad

Popular travel and lifestyle blog featuring travel tips, fashion, food and photography from around the world. Follow Kiersten on her adventures!

Exploring the Little Italy Mercato

Featured

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]armer’s markets help support local farmers and small business and help us consumers “cut out the middleman” to get the freshest and highest quality ingredients without breaking the bank. Each day of the week, you can typically find a farmer’s market in a different neighborhood somewhere in San Diego county.

On Saturdays, Little Italy draws in hundreds of San Diegans to their farmer’s market. Venders offer everything from organic produce to handcrafted jewelry to delicious fresh squeezed juices.

My friends and I decided to spend the morning exploring the Little Italy Mercato. The market was bustling with people of all ages, babies and plenty of little furry friends.

We were instantly greeted with the smells of burning sage, fresh cut flowers and salty ocean air.

Blue skies in Little Italy
Blue skies in Little Italy

Walking through the Little Italy Mercato
Walking through the Little Italy Mercato

Say CHEESE!
Say CHEESE!

Locally produced olive oil
Locally produced olive oil

Organic olives, olive oil and agave
Organic olives, olive oil and agave

Don't panic! It's organic!
Don’t panic! It’s organic!

Snagging some samples
Snagging some samples

Organic toffee peanut butter? Don't twist my arm
Organic toffee peanut butter? Don’t twist my arm

Salty Sisters sea salt candy
Salty Sisters sea salt candy

Toffee with dark chocolate and almonds
Toffee with dark chocolate and almonds

Fresh cut flowers
Fresh cut flowers

We're suckers for Gerbera daisies
We’re suckers for Gerbera daisies

More cheese. Can you sense my weakness?
More cheese. Can you sense my weakness?

Local produce
Local produce

Fresh herbs
Fresh herbs

Wouldn't be a farmer's market without some sage!
Wouldn’t be a farmer’s market without some sage!

Street performers
Street performers

Sweet smelling body butter
Sweet smelling body butter

Taking a break to moisturize
Taking a break to moisturize

Almond based dip, Bitchin' Sauce. Best stuff ever!
Almond based dip, Bitchin’ Sauce. Best stuff ever!

Stay bitchin' San Diego!
Stay bitchin’ San Diego!

A little farmer's market humor
A little farmer’s market humor

Cheesecake in a cup!
Cheesecake in a cup!

Foodie heaven!
Key Lime Cheesecake heaven!

Check out the Little Italy Mercato website for more details!

Do you have a favorite farmer’s market?

Related Posts

Join over 1 million people and get exclusive travel tips, giveaways and more!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a comment

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Jessi

      Beautiful photos! I’ve only been to San Diego once (and for a very brief time), but it’s a gorgeous city. These images make me miss Little Italy in Cleveland, OH, where I grew up. It has the greatest atmosphere (and the best cassata cake in the country).

      My favorite farmer’s market, though, has to be the West Side Market in Cleveland. This is partially due to the nostalgia factor, but it’s an amazing place to visit, especially on a rainy morning (the entire market is indoors!).

      Houston has some great little markets as well, and on Saturday mornings they pop up in parking lots throughout the city.

      January 11, 2014 at 8:29 am · Reply
      • The Blonde Abroad

        Thanks Jessi! Those markets sounds so lovely! Not gonna lie- had to google cassata cake and it looks delicious!

        January 11, 2014 at 11:10 am · Reply
    2. Charlotte B

      This looks so cute! I wish we had more farmer’s markets where I live. I live in the South of Spain and most of our markets are dedicated to the tourists so they’re all like little souvenirs. I really should try and scout out my own farmer’s market or start one up myself! haha

      January 12, 2014 at 10:02 am · Reply
      • The Blonde Abroad

        Oh I can imagine… Where in the south? I studied abroad in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Zero tourists lol.

        January 12, 2014 at 11:35 am · Reply

    Instagram

    #ad The Italian dream is located in Val d’Orcia 🇮🇹 🍷 ☀️
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    Nestled in the province of Siena, this UNESCO-listed region is home to some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Italy, not to mention some seriously charming medieval towns.

    If you’ve ever daydreamed about sipping wine in a sun-drenched vineyard or strolling through a postcard-perfect village, this is the place to make it happen.

    This almost week-long road trip includes: San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Fosso Bianco in Bagni San Filippo, Pienza, and Siena. And with the help of the @Expedia’ app, we found endless tour options and coveted day trip excursions to keep us busy.

    You can earn and spend ‘OneKeyCash’ (Expedia Group’s rewards currency) on cozy Hotels.com stays, awesome Vrbo vacation rentals, and even more on Expedia.

    Sign up for free at the link in my bio to earn and save as you plan your dream trip to Italy!
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    #sponsored #tuscany #italy #ExpediaPartner

    526 12
    Open
    #ad The Italian dream is located in Val d’Orcia 🇮🇹 🍷 ☀️ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Nestled in the province of Siena, this UNESCO-listed region is home to some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Italy, not to mention some seriously charming medieval towns. If you’ve ever daydreamed about sipping wine in a sun-drenched vineyard or strolling through a postcard-perfect village, this is the place to make it happen. This almost week-long road trip includes: San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Fosso Bianco in Bagni San Filippo, Pienza, and Siena. And with the help of the @Expedia’ app, we found endless tour options and coveted day trip excursions to keep us busy. You can earn and spend ‘OneKeyCash’ (Expedia Group’s rewards currency) on cozy Hotels.com stays, awesome Vrbo vacation rentals, and even more on Expedia. Sign up for free at the link in my bio to earn and save as you plan your dream trip to Italy! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #sponsored #tuscany #italy #ExpediaPartner

    Sometimes the most simple travel experiences are the most magical ✨
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    If you want a step-by-step guide on how to find this “honesty” farmhouse and Prosecco vending machine in Italy, comment CHEERS and I’ll DM you exactly where you can find it!
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    #italy #prosecco #charcuterie #roadtrip #travelsecrets

    1496 518
    Open
    Sometimes the most simple travel experiences are the most magical ✨ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• If you want a step-by-step guide on how to find this “honesty” farmhouse and Prosecco vending machine in Italy, comment CHEERS and I’ll DM you exactly where you can find it! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #italy #prosecco #charcuterie #roadtrip #travelsecrets
    Share
    Tweet
    Pin