Traditional Friday market

Italiano

The Traditional Friday market of Barzio is an outdoor market held weekly in Barzio, in Valsassina, on Friday. The marketplace is Parking 2, or P2, near the town center, under Via Roma.[^] For this reason, Parking 2 is also known as the Mercato Parking (Market Parking), or Piazza Mercato Parking (Square Market Parking), although it lacks a specific street sign. Probably already at 7.30 in the morning you can buy, and the market lasts until around one in the afternoon, when the sellers dismantle their stalls. Road signs indicate that it is forbidden to park with forced removal on the whole square on Friday from 6.00 to 15.00.
I copied the name mercato tradizionale del venerdì from two advertising banners that the Municipality of Barzio displays in the summer in a strategic place, along the road that crosses the Valsassina at the entrance to the road that goes up to Barzio. They are at Ponte Folla, in the municipality of Pasturo, at the crossroads of Provincial Road 62 of Valsassina and Provincial Road 64 Prealpina Orobica, ramification Ponte Folla - Barzio. In truth, I believe that hardly anyone adds the traditional adjective to this market or is aware of it.

The traditional Friday market of Barzio consists of a series of stalls which become more numerous in July and August. As in many other open-air markets that take place one day a week, the fruit and vegetable stalls attract the largest number of people, then there are others that sell food, cheeses, gastronomy, fish, but there are also many vendors of clothing, household items and more, in short, it is worth a visit. In fact, the market is very popular, especially in the summer, and also a reference point for the towns bordering the beautiful mountain tourist resort.[^][^]

The market stalls

The glance you have in the summer, coming down from Pasticceria Passoni in Via Roma towards the Friday market, is really pleasant, between two rows of stalls, so many people in the middle, up to the bottom of the parking lot.
Going down the ramp, someone immediately asks you to sign in favor of the fight against something, it will be drugs, perhaps then hazarding a request for money for charity. The first market stall you come across is a florist,[^] which, thanks to the greenery and the aromas of the plants and the colors of its flowers, lilies, chrysanthemums, daisies, puts those who visit the market in a good mood. Below, you will find sellers of shoes, clothing and underwear, and others of steel pots, mugs and more for the home.[^] In the middle of the entrance row, after the parking meter at a yellow tower, in July and August the market widens to the right. I remember a seller of wooden housewares, a leather seller and a fruit and vegetable stand run by people with a Bergamo accent;[^] then a candy seller and a toy seller.
Returning to the main row of the outdoor market,[^] in the bottom of the parking area, from the uneven surface and repaired by trees, with a view of Fiumetta Valley, its pedestrian area and Tensile structure, there is a fruit and vegetable stall. Right away, another of a woman from "La Fiorita" Berghem farm. Nives, sometimes helped by her young blond children, sells cheeses, such as Bergamo and goat formagella, salami and rolled bacon, produced on her own by about fifty cows in Dalmine and by goats in Artavaggio. At the end of the car park, the fish and fried fish van always has a queue of people because it offers good quality products, appetizing rings, anchovies, cod among others. [^] Friday is the right day to sell fish because Barzio follows the tradition of Christian origin that on this day of the week no meat is eaten in memory of the death of Jesus; fish can also be found in food stores in the country. Next, to the delight of the children, candies!

Doing wrong to other stalls that I do not know directly, I go up the Friday market of Barzio in the second main row, where on the corner there is a large fruit and vegetable stall.[^] Near the bar that divides P2 from P3, always on the right, two more fruit and vegetable stalls,[^] confirming that these are the main products of each market because they are consumed every day and spoil quickly, alternating with two vans, a deli with spit-roasted chickens and chips, and cheese.[^] Finally, other stalls of household items, a honey seller and one who with a microphone entertains those who pass by showing the validity of cleaning products.

There will be more than fifty market stalls in the summer. As a whole, the street market in Barzio offers good quality products. The traders come from the area, Valsassina and the province of Lecco, some are from the nearby province of Bergamo and Brianza.

The Friday market for Barzio and for me

The traditional Friday market in Barzio is an event that animates the town in all seasons. For the market many people come from neighboring countries, Cremeno, Maggio, Cassina, Moggio, and even from the whole valley, the economy, in particular bars, grocery stores and the pharmacy, benefits. The weekly outdoor market, as it happens everywhere, is a meeting place and a way to spend an hour of the morning, which goes beyond the need to buy. Sometimes, we are surprised to meet old acquaintances, and to exchange a few words.[^]

In the non-summer period, in which the village is empty on weekdays, the arrival of the market is the awakening to life, which anticipates the weekend, when Barzio, in good weather, will be frequented for the beauty of its mountains and for the skiing at Piani di Bobbio.

I too, like so many barziesi (inhabitants from Barzio), villagers, vacationers, tourists, do not miss a trip to the Barzio market on Friday, even postponing walks or trips to other days, or to the afternoon. I spend some time among people, I buy fruit, eggs, cheeses, salami and honey.

References

1. Mauro Vezzoli (21 July 2016). "Summer 2016 also begins with a photo of P2 and its no parking sign on Friday 6.00-15.00 on the whole market square!". In Estate and P2 (Piazza del Mercato). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
2. Mauro Vezzoli (5 August 2011- ). "Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio". [Google Photos album]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
3. Mauro Vezzoli. "Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio". [Flickr album]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
4. Mauro Vezzoli (26 June 2015). "The florist's stand at the start of the Friday market in Barzio.". In In giro per Barzio and Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
5. Mauro Vezzoli (3 July 2015). "Stalls on the right side at the beginning of the market, with household items such as pots and cups.". In Estate and Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
6. Mauro Vezzoli (24 July 2015). "The fruit and vegetable stall along the small street of Località Cesura, at the Friday market. The managers are from Bergamo, it seems to me from Almenno. They come to Barzio only in the months of July and August. The fruit is often ripe, it must be eaten immediately, the prices are low. Smooth melons are very sweet.". In Estate, Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio and P2 (Piazza del Mercato). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
7. Mauro Vezzoli (24 July 2015). "A flood of people at the traditional Friday market. The beautiful and hot weather of this July has helped to bring tourists up to the mountains, many of which reside permanently in the summer in Valsassina, owners of a second home or rented one.". In In giro per Barzio. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
8. Mauro Vezzoli (3 July 2015). "Always lots of people at Il Fritto - Il Fresco, the van that sells fish at the end of the Friday market. Mum likes fried cod, which is a bit expensive.". In In giro per Barzio. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
9. Mauro Vezzoli (3 July 2015). "The fruit and vegetable counter at the corner of the Barzio's market, where I usually shop. The quality of the seasonal products, grapes, figs, cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, is good and the price is quite low. The exhibitors are from the valley, cool, and stock up in the area. Eggs are great.". In In giro per Barzio and Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
10. Mauro Vezzoli (5 August 2011). "View of the Barzio market, with a customer paying at the fruit and vegetable stall that precedes Renzo Formaggi.". In In giro per Barzio. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
11. Mauro Vezzoli (5 August 2011). "'Il Formagiat' serves tourists from his van. The Friday market is the weekly appointment in Barzio which cannot be missed by villagers and vacationers.". In In giro per Barzio and Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
12. Mauro Vezzoli (3 July 2015). "Women talking at the Barzio market.". In Estate and Mercato tradizionale del venerdì di Barzio. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 23 August 2017.