Going to the grocery store in Florence, Italy, looks, feels, and is considerably different from the grocery shopping experience we are used to in the States. As a study abroad student, it’s hard to get the lay of the land in the first few weeks in another country. While everything is changing, it’s important to keep up with healthy meals and utilize the fresh ingredients that Italian supermarkets have in stock. Grocery stores in Italy differ from those at home, yet it’s important to maintain healthy habits while abroad.
For starters, the aisles are narrower, and there’s a much smaller selection of every product type available in the store. This is very different from what we are accustomed to with rows of endless options to just a few high-quality choices.
These supermarkets emphasize fresh, local ingredients. Produce, bread, and other items are often sourced locally, which means they’re fresher but may not last as long because they contain fewer preservatives. Therefore, we have learned that shopping here feels less like stocking up for weeks and more like buying what you need for the next couple of days.
One of my biggest learning experiences has been buying produce. In the U.S., you typically bag your fruits and vegetables and bring them to the checkout, where the cashier weighs and prices everything for you. In Italy, it’s completely different: you have to bag the produce yourself and then use a scale at the checkout. You look up the item number, weigh it, and print out a price sticker to attach to the bag before heading to checkout. Definitely don’t make the mistake we did by bringing untagged produce to the cashier; they will not be happy!
Since Italian supermarkets are much smaller than what we’re used to, they get crowded very quickly. When people stop in after work to shop for dinner, the stores become especially busy. We’ve learned that it can feel pretty overwhelming between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm, so we try to go earlier in the afternoon to avoid the rush.
As study abroad students learning Italian for the first time, you may find it difficult to find the ingredients you need because you may not know what they’re called in Italian. At first, I thought it would be fine not knowing, but I quickly found myself confused multiple times while trying to figure out if I had found the right item. I tried using Google Translate, but the service is often limited inside supermarkets, which made it even more challenging. Because of this, I’ve learned to look up important words before going to the store so the shopping experience is much easier. The employees at the grocery store are extremely helpful, speak good English, and can be a great resource while you’re grocery shopping.
Although shopping for groceries in another country can look and feel intimidating, it’s important to remember that everyone goes through the process of navigating their new life living abroad. Make mistakes, learn from them! Bring friends along on your first few trips to the grocery store and fail together.
Our Italian Coffee Experience!
Cooking an Italian Dinner! – If you want to make the same amazing chicken piccata, follow this recipe!
Written by Abby Goodrich, Charlotte Granato, Brooke Weber