Market Russafa

This market is located in Valencia’s coolest neighbourhood, Ruzafa, which boasts numerous culinary offerings worthy of any major European city, leisure spots, art galleries and various cultural activity centres. Its origins are Arabic – the name means 'garden’ in that language – dating back to 9th-century Balansiya under Abd Allah al-Balansi, who ordered construction of a recreational green space in the outskirts of the city.

The market building, in the brutalist style, with its devotion to concrete, is the work of architect Julio Bellot Senent. It opened in 1962. The characteristic graduated colours were added in 2010, a true Pantone representation of the chromatic diversity of the delicacies contained inside. With an area of 4,780 m² and over 160 stalls, it is the second largest market in the Valencian Community, after Valencia's Central Market. But unlike the latter, it has preserved its more neighbourhood feel, with an authenticity that eschews trends. Although one thing it shares with its big brother is the quality of the products on offer, as it has done for decades now. 

The list of locally sourced products is long, ranging from fish, concentrated in an area set aside for this purpose, pickled vegetables, salted fish, poultry, game, algae and the best produce from L’Horta, València’s fertile region. One curious stall stands out among the rest: Insectum, which stocks edible insects and flowers. Bello e Buono was created by Carlo Castellano – former yachtsman on the Desafío Español 2007 at the America’s Cup, and Valencian by adoption – to bring the finest gourmet products from Campagna and his native Naples to our city.

For ties between Valencia and Italy have always been strong. One different way to get to know the market and its culinary wonders is to visit My First Paella, which offers active culinary experiences. This consists of preparing a Valencia-style paella at its Russafa establishment, purchasing the ingredients beforehand at this one-of-a-kind market.