The Alba Saturday Market: Shop Like a Local in Alba
Get ready to impulse buy.
- When: Every Saturday from 6.30 a.m. until around 2 p.m.
- Getting there: Take the train or park outside the historic centre
Every Saturday morning, the streets and piazzas of Alba fill with vendors selling clothes, accessories, household goods, and fresh produce.
Unlike the World White Truffle Market, this isn’t put on for visitors. It’s the market locals really shop at, so expect bargains on all things “Made in Italy,” and tourists holding everyone up while they take photos of truffles (I may be guilty of this).
If you’re in Alba on a Saturday morning, here’s what to expect.
The Main Market: Via Maestra to Piazza Risorgimento
Even if you’re just browsing, it’s hard to get from one piazza to the other without picking up something along the way, whether it’s a deeply discounted frying pan, camera lens protectors, or a truffle. I once bought a skirt from an Ecuadorian couple in Piazza Risorgimento that was such a hit on Instagram, my cousin in Australia asked me to send her one!
The main market stretches from the Piazza Savona (Michele Ferrero) to Piazza Risorgimento along Via Vittorio Emanuele, or “Via Maestra” to the locals. It’s the perfect place to go when you want something specific.
Looking for a dress for a special occasion? You can pick one up for €20. Want a linen shirt for a job interview? There’s a whole stall of them reduced to €15. Need a cashmere jumper so you can stay warm and stylish during Piemonte’s freezing winter? You can pick one up for just €55.
Clockwise from top left: Shoppers on Via Maestra; typical sweets on display; black summer truffles; the market on Via Cavour
This is Alba’s main shopping street, and the shops are open on market day. In summer, when black summer truffles are in season, you can snag a knobbly tuber for around €10-20 (depending on size). They’re more common and less pungent than their white counterparts, which come with a much heftier price tag when they’re in season (October-January).
After browsing the main street, I usually like to take a breakfast pit stop, because next up are the food stalls, and you know what they say about shopping on an empty stomach. It can be hard to get a table on market days, but Caffè Teatro, round the corner from Piazza Risorgimento, tends to be slightly quieter. My go-to is a cappuccino and focaccia farcita with salame.
Looking for more places to eat in Alba? Discover the secret foodie neighbourhood only locals know about.
Victoria Peel-Yates
Piazza Elvio Pertinace: Slow Food Market
In Piazza Elvio Pertinace, you’ll find the Slow Food market (Mercato della Terra) that takes place on both Saturday and Sunday.
If you skipped Caffè Teatro, you have another chance to refuel at Insolito, a bar with a large terrace that fills one corner of the square, where we often bump into people we know.
Across the piazza, you’ll find local producers who follow the Slow Food principles selling seasonal fruit and vegetables, cheese, cured meats, wine, honey, hazelnuts, and more.
In spring, that means asparagus, strawberries, and cherries. In summer, figs, peaches, “trompette” (deformed zucchini), and blueberries. Autumn fills the stands with chestnuts, pumpkins, and mushrooms, while winter brings leeks, apples, and root vegetables.
The Slow Food Market in Piazza Elvio Pertinace
Seasons move fast here, so if you see something you like, buy it there and then. I regretted not getting some juicy-looking figs when I saw them, as when I went back two weeks later, there were only a few small, overpriced stragglers left, which I refused to buy on principle.
But the food stalls don’t end here.
Piazza Marconi: The Fruit and Veg Market
If you're in Alba for the food (and let’s be honest, who isn't), this is where you'll want to head next. The covered market has an even wider selection of fruit and veg than the Slow Food stalls, plus cheese, fish, and a roast chicken stand with a queue that says it all.
You’ll also find nonne-approved anchovies, olives, and salami—just look for the clusters of local ladies and get in line.
If you want to brighten up your hotel room or are in town for a while, you can also find stalls selling fresh flowers and live plants.
Clockwise from top left: the covered market; the roast chicken queue; houseplants for sale; La Via del Sale selling salted fish and olives
Visiting the Alba Market During the Truffle Fair
The Saturday morning market in Alba runs all year, including during the truffle fair, which also takes place on weekends. Since they overlap, you can make a full day of it: browse the market in the morning, then head to the World White Truffle Market, which takes place in Cortile della Maddalena, just off Via Maestra.
Planning a trip to Alba? The Saturday market is just the start. Grab my local's guide to Alba for where to eat, where to stay, and a 3-day itinerary.
