Italian Grocery Stores - A Visitor's Guide + Helpful Tips (2024)

Italian Grocery Stores– different types of supermarkets in Italy, important things to know about shopping, helpful tips, useful words and phrases for shopping at an Italian grocery store and more!

Ah, grocery shopping in Italy. Is it really romantic like they show it in the films? Skipping along cobblestone streets, stopping in at the jolly bakery and choosing the freshest produce from the friendly neighborhood fruit seller?

Well, sure, some people here in Italy do still shop like that, but most of us with families and busy lives make our way to the grocery store, just like you do!

However, there are some differences between Italian grocery stores and supermarkets in your home country. Something as simple as buying food can be bewildering here in bella Italia.

Even if you don’t need anything at an Italian grocery store, if it’s your first visit to Italy, it’s a fun way for everyone – from toddlers to teens to adults – to soak up a little Italian culture. You can learn a lot about a place and its people by exploring its grocery stores.

So, let’s take a look at Italian grocery stores and some of their unique traits.

Types of Grocery Stores in Italy

You may be wondering what supermarkets and grocery stores are called in Italy. The simple answer is: supermercato.

If you’re visiting Italy with your family and you need to pick up some fresh produce, snacks, picnic supplies, toiletries, or even diapers, you want to ask someone where a supermarket is.

How To Pronounce Supermarket

Supermercato, the general term for a grocery store or supermarket in Italy is pronounced soo-pehr-mehr-KAH-toe.

You can ask your hotel concierge, taxi driver, or a stranger on the street, “Per favore, dov’è un supermercato?” or “C’è un supermercato in zona?” (“Can you please tell me where a supermarket is?” or “Is there a supermarket in the area?”)

There are a few different types of grocery stores in Italy, and it’s helpful to know the differences between them. Italy has:

• ipermercati (hypermarkets)
• supermercati (supermarkets)
• convenience mercati (smaller supermarkets in city centers)
• alimentari (grocers)
• discount (discount chains)
• specialty shops
• mercati (open-air markets)

Ipermercati (Italian Hypermarkets)

These chains are similar to a Walmart or Target in that they have food and a whole lot more! Some of the popular hypermarkets you’ll see in Italy are:

• Auchan
• Bennet
• Carrefour
• Coop
• Conad
• Decò
• Despar
• Panorama
• Sisa

They’re so large that you won’t find them in city centers – they’re usually in a periphery zone. They always have large parking lots and are often accessible by bus.

If you’re staying in one place for awhile and want to ‘settle in,’ this is where you’ll find the best prices on many food products, household goods, cleaning supplies, and baby products.

Supermercati (Italian Supermarkets)

You’ll find supermercati in busy cities, smaller towns, and in the countryside. It’s the ‘regular-size’ grocery store that carries an abundant selection of fresh food, non-perishable food, household essentials (kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, and toiletries).

Good To Know: These regular supermarkets are much smaller than what you’re used to at home! The aisles are smaller and there are fewer options for each product.

You may also find small sections with seasonal products (like candy for Valentine’s Day, coriandoli for Carnevale, Easter cakes, or panettone for Christmas) and clothing.

Some popular supermarkets you’ll see in Italy:

• Carrefour
• Conad
• Coop
• Crai
• Despar
• Esselunga
• Pam
• Sigma
• Sisa

We also have specialty supermarkets like Eataly, which carry typical Italian products, including some from the local area.

Convenience Mercati (Smaller Supermarkets in Italian Town Centers)

The Italian word for these is actually the English ‘convenience.’ You may also hear them called ‘mini-markets.’

These ‘mini-size’ big chain grocery stores are popular in city centers. You’ll find the basics you’ll need as a tourist and locals can ‘get by’ with the food on offer, but there’s not a huge selection and the prices are usually a little higher than regular supermarkets or hypermarkets. Most locals will also head to a regular supermarket at some time during the week or month.

Often these minimarkets have ‘city’ in their names: Conad City, for example.

Alimentari (Grocers)

You’ll find alimentari throughout Italy, often family-run with a little Italian man behind the counter reading his newspaper. There may be an eclectic selection, and you may find dust on some of the products. But, chances are, if you ask, they’ll have what you need!

These are often great places to gather goods for a picnic (cheese, bread, jams, olives, wine) because they get products from local producers.

Discount (Discount Supermarkets)

• Eurospin
• MD
• Lidl
• Tuodì
• Penny Market
• In’s Mercato
• DPiù

Specialty Shops

These are the beating heart of the Italian food scene. If you’re visiting, make a point of checking out the specialty shops for the cream of the crop – the best bread, fruits and vegetables, meats, and cheeses are all for sale in these specialty shops.

Head to the individual shops to get ingredients for a picnic or supplies for cooking a meal in your apartment.

• forno (bakery)
• fruttivendolo (fruit & vegetable shop)
• macelleria (butcher)
• pasticceria (pastry shop)
• pescheria (fish shop)

Mercati (Open-Air Food Markets)

Another way to find the freshest, in-season food – head to the village or city open-air market. Some are held daily, and others are once-a-week.

Vendors set up stands, tents, or sell out of their food trucks.

You can sometimes sample the products.

Helpful Tip: Observe which stands the locals head to – they know where the best prices and best cibo (food) is!

In this article, I’ll be focusing on the classic Italian supermercato (supermarket), which you may call a ‘grocery store’ in your home country. It’s an excellent place to do your grocery shopping while you’re visiting Italy.

Main Sections of an Italian Supermarket

In an Italian supermarket, you’ll typically find the following areas:

Fresh Produce – fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables

Bakery – freshly baked bread and pastries

Deli – cheeses, cured meats

Refrigerated Section – milk, yogurt, packaged cheeses and meats, fresh pasta

Breakfast – packaged Italian breakfast cookies and pastries, cereal, granola bars, baking ingredients

Snacks – packaged bread and crackers, chips, nuts, juice, merendine (sweet and savory packaged snacks)

Fish – fresh fish

Meat – packaged or from the butcher: pollo (chicken), manzo (beef), vitello (veal), tacchino (turkey) and maiale (pork). You’ll also found ground meats (macinato), typically beef and pork, and sometimes turkey.

Senza Glutine – gluten-free pasta, packaged bread, crackers, cookies. Schär is the main company for gluten-free products in Italy, but many major Italian supermarket chains now make their own gluten-free products

Organic – ‘health food’ section with oats, non-wheat flours, healthy snacks, non-dairy milks, and more. Common non-dairy milks include avena (oat), cocco (coconut), riso (rice), soia (soy), and mandorla (almond).

Beverages – large selection of still (naturale) and sparkling (frizzante) water, soda (usually Coca Cola, co*ke Zero, Fanta, Sprite, San Pellegrino and a few others)

Basics – pasta, tomato products, canned and Tetra-pak goods (scattole)

Toiletries – typical toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and first-aid items, deoderant, feminine supplies (tampons, pads, panty liners)

Household items – toilet paper, paper towels, etc

Baby products – baby food, diapers, diaper cream, baby wipes, formula

Frozen – vegetables, meals, desserts, and other frozen foods (surgelati)

Alcohol – wine, beer, co*cktail ingredients

Pharmacy – many Italian grocery stores now have mini ‘pharmacies’ where you can buy over-the-counter products like contact lens solution, high-end face creams, pregnancy tests, and after-bite (mosquito) ointments. Read more about Pharmacies in Italy!

Important Things to Know About Italian Grocery Stores

You Need To Pay To Use A Cart

Put a coin in (usually €0.50 or €1 but will be written on the cart) to release the chain. When you’re finished shopping, return the cart where you got it, put the chain back in, and release your coin.

Why do we do this in Italy? It may seem silly, but at least we don’t end up with carts all over the lot and town. Everyone wants his coin back, so carts get returned!

If you don’t need a cart, you can use a small (often rolling) hand basket for free. They’re usually stacked at the store entrance.

Use a Glove To Handle Produce

Before you start gathering your fresh fruit and vegetables, you’ll need to put on a plastic glove. Yes, that’s right! Hygiene scorecard: Italy 1 – Everywhere Else 0.

There’s a dispenser (or a few) with plastic bags in the produce area.

Good To Know: The plastic bags and gloves are biodegradable in many of the larger Italian grocery stores.

Once you’re gloved, feel free to touch and examine the produce. But don’t just throw it in your cart! You need to weigh your fruits and vegetables at Italian grocery stores.

Weigh Your Produce

Once you’ve chosen your produce, put it in a bag and note the number of the product on the sign nearby.

Then, take your bagged fruits or vegetables to one of the scales (a bilancia) in the area. Put the produce on the scale and enter the product number (sometimes there are pictures of the products).

Take the little sticker that comes out and stick it to the bag – all done!

Good To Know: You can skip the bag if you’d prefer not to use one. Just put the sticker directly on the produce.

Don’t forget to weigh your produce – the cashier doesn’t have a scale. If you forget, you’ll need to leave the line (with everyone waiting behind you!) to go weigh it.

Good To Know: There are exceptions to weighing fresh produce. You don’t need to weigh it if it already has a barcode on it (packaged carrots, for example).

Order Fresh Meats and Cheeses From The Deli

You’ll see packaged cheeses and meats in the refrigerated section. They’re fine to eat, but the best tasting cheeses and meats are in the grocery store deli.

You usually need to get a number from the machine and wait to be called (or have your number show up on the digital display).

Good To Know: We order our meats and cheeses by the etto, or 1/10 of a kilogram (100 g). If you need to order more, you order etti.

For example:

Vorrei… (I would like…)

Listen to the pronunciation here:

Bring Your Own Bags Or Pay For Them

If you need to purchase bags, they’re usually €0.05-0.10 each, and are often the flimsy biodegradable bags. At larger stores you can purchase collapsible cardboard boxes, insulated bags (for cold food), and reusable bags.

Bag Your Own Groceries

When it’s your turn to check out, place all of your groceries on the belt (or near the cashier if there’s no belt), then walk past the cashier to begin bagging your groceries as she rings them up.

Keep Things Moving: When the cashier has finished ringing up your groceries, stop bagging and pay. When you’re finished paying, you can continue bagging and the cashier can begin ringing up the next customer. There is usually a small divider in the bagging area and he/she’ll send the next customer’s groceries to the other side of the bagging area.

Use Your Receipt To Exit The Self-Checkout Area

If you choose the self-checkout area, don’t tuck your receipt away when you’re finished. You’ll need to scan your receipt to leave the area. Put the barcode of the receipt under the scanner and the gate will open up.

Good To Know: The self-checkout attendant may also ask to see your receipt to re-scan your items. It’s a random check and after the quick re-scan, you’ll be on your way.

Other Helpful Things To Know about Italian Grocery Stores

Eggs Are Not Always Refrigerated

Not All Milk Is Refrigerated

Tell The Cashier How You’re Paying

If you’re paying with a credit card, tell the cashier, and he/she will tell you when to insert your card or tap it to the machine.

Good To Know: While large grocery stores in Italy will accept credit cards, smaller stores often do not (even though they’re legally required to), so it’s a good idea to always have some cash on hand.

Grocery Scanners Are Only For Store Loyalty Club Members

You may see small hand scanners on display at the store entrance. You can use them to scan your groceries and then scan the device at self-checkout to pay without having to remove your groceries from the cart.

If you want to use one, you need to be a store member and have a tessera (loyalty card). To free a hand scanner from the display, you scan your tessera.

Italian Grocery Stores Carry Toiletries

Grocery stores are some of the best places to buy shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, baby products (diapers, diaper cream, baby wipes) and other essentials. In some towns, it may be your only option. In larger towns, it may be your cheapest option.

Toiletry stores like Caddy are popping up throughout the country, and there are perfume shops as well, but many (including our family) buy toiletries at the grocery store. We don’t have any stores with great prices like Target or Boots – yet.

Foreign Products Are Expensive

You may be missing favorite food products like peanut butter or tahini. Don’t be surprised by high prices for these often-imported goods. Try to eat local, seasonal foods if you can!

Also, these products may only be available during tourist season.

Italian Supermarkets Aren’t Open 24 Hours a Day

Italian grocery stores are generally open throughout the day, from morning until early evening. Hours vary depending on the chain and where it’s located. Some (located in smaller towns and in the countryside) will close for a few hours in the early afternoon.

Grocery stores in Italy may or may not be open on Sunday. Those that do typically only stay open until lunchtime, but a few stay open all day.

Good To Know: The Autogrill (a restaurant/cafè/minimarket on Italian toll roads) is always open, so if you really need something, you can drive to the Autostrada and shop at the Autogrill. It’s more expensive, but you can get what you need.

Italian Grocery Stores Can Get Very Crowded

Italian grocery stores (except for the large hypermarkets) are often in compact spaces with narrow aisles.

If you can, try to shop in quieter times of the day, like right when the store opens, or during lunchtime. Your shopping experience will be much more pleasant if you don’t have to fight your way through hordes of people or elbow nonne (Italian grannies) in the long lines at the cashier (just kidding – please don’t elbow any nonne).

Useful Words & Phrases For Italian Grocery Stores

Greetings & Basic Phrases

Listen to them here:

Navigating The Italian Grocery Store

Listen to them here:

At Checkout

Listen to them here:

Numbers

Listen to them here:

You may also want to look at 100+ Useful Italian Travel Phrases!

Staples To Buy At Italian Grocery Stores

Olio d’oliva (olive oil) – Best purchased after the harvest in November. Italian grocery stores have great olive oil – you don’t need to buy expensive oil or oil from a specialty shop.

Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinegar)

Pasta – You’ll find an entire aisle of it at an Italian supermarket! In addition to the dried pasta aisle, there is fresh egg pasta in the refrigerated section. Tired of pasta? You’ll also find riso (rice).

Pane (bread) – Most Italian grocery stores have their own forno. We buy schiacciata and bread at the grocery store and in town at our bakery. Other bread staples like fette biscottate can be found in the packaged food section.

Aglio (garlic)

Pomodori (tomatoes) – Fresh and preserved tomatoes are staples in any Italian kitchen.

Erbe (herbs) – Basilico (basil), rosmarino (rosemary), timo (thyme), origano (oregano), prezzemolo (parsley) and alloro (bay leaves) are used often in Italian recipes.

Sott’olio (literally ‘under oil’) – These items, like sundried tomatoes, roasted eggplants, and olives, can be found preserved in oil in jars or in the deli. They’re great options for aperitivo!

Sott’aceto (literally ‘under vinegar’) – Capers, onions, and pickles are a few types of sott’aceti that you’ll find in jars or in the deli.

Salumi (cured pork) – Prosciutto cotto, prosciutto crudo, and salame, to name a few. Buy them packaged if you’re in a hurry; otherwise, take a number and wait for your turn to order freshly-sliced meats.

Formaggio (cheese) – Take your choice of Italy’s fresh and aged cheeses in the deli section or pre-packed in the refrigerated section. Grab classics like parmigiano, gorgonzola, or pecorino. Or, try a lesser-known local slice.

Frutta (fruit) – Most Italian supermarkets follow the seasons, so you’ll find fresh, in-season produce. Look for fragole (strawberries), pere (pears), albicocche (apricots), mele (apples), uva (grapes), pesche (peaches), arance (oranges), pompelmo (grapefruit). You’ll also find non-local produce like ananas (pineapple), mango, avocado.

Verdure (vegetables) – As with fruit, you’ll find fresh, in-season veggies in Italian grocery stores, including zucchine (zucchini), lattuga (lettuce), cetrioli (cucumbers), asparagi (asparagus), peperoni (bell peppers), carote (carrots), melanzane (eggplants, aubergines), cipolle (onions), patate (potatoes).

I hope you’ve found our guide to Italian supermarkets helpful. Enjoy your shopping!

First time to Italy? 10th? Either way, you’ll want to check out our 200+ Essential Italy Travel Tips!

Grocery Stores in Italy FAQ