Friday Market Day, San Benedetto del Tronto

 In San Benedetto, market days are Tuesdays and Fridays, from around 8a 'til noon-ish.  The vendors, of course,  must stop in time to pack up and get to wherever they're going to eat lunch at 1p.  We've discovered the best way to approach it and it is this:

Start along the lungomare, at the circle where the road turns toward the port.  These stalls are full of sweatpants, t-shirts, underwear, cheap jeans, pants and sweaters, knockoffs of the latest mall fashions and some used leather jackets.

Then, toward the pedestrian area, where you'll find vendors who've got overstock from the Grande Firme or maybe just items that've fallen off of trucks.  Miu Miu, Prada, Woolrich, G-Star.  Some name brand shoes.

Off the pedestrian area, on a little street heading north are the food trucks.  Porchetta, fried & dried fish, and these:

The woman behind the counter says to cut up the pig ears and sautee them in a pan with some tomatoes.  I didn't ask her how to prepare the feet. 

Maybe, pick up some olive oil,

some fruit and veg,

or some dried fish for bacala.

Then, it's thru the big parking lot of shoes, herbs, household goods and toys nearer the port.

   

                                                    

Past the fishing boats, returned.

Past the empty crates and coiled up nets to the Mercato Ittico 

where you buy these:

Two kilos for 5 euros.  And you make the long walk home to pry open your bounty.

vongole, panocchie, and cozze, oh my

This past weekend, we hung out at the beach in San Benedetto.  I had a gloriously flat run along the lungomare, the men cooked, I cleaned up (despite their half-hearted protests that I act like a "real" woman and cook--I think they remembered my attempt to make falafel) and, as I feel is my calling here, I dispelled yet another myth about America.