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The Italian Market
Philadelphia’s Italian Market, which runs along approximately ten city blocks of Ninth Street in South Philadelphia, is one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in America.
Dozens of vendors line the street, selling the freshest vegetables, fish, meats, spices and produce from their stalls, while gourmet shops and restaurants occupy storefronts in between.
These butcher shops, bakeries and other specialty shops are throwbacks to another time, long before the advent of supermarkets.
Shoppers truly marvel at the amazing array of products on display — and at the whole experience of it all.
In addition to the vendors and shops, countless mouthwatering restaurants are located either along the market itself or within a stone’s throw of it.
Plus, the Italian Market is home to the two most famous purveyors of cheesesteaks in the world: Pat’s and Geno’s.
And while the Italian Market has an incredibly strong Italian heritage — which can still be seen today throughout the stores, restaurants and neighborhood in general — an exciting surge of international flavors has given the area new life over the past decade.
Now, just as many people visit the market for Mexican food (there are several delicious taquerias as well as a few bodegas), Vietnamese fare (pho [soup] and banh mi [hoagie] are very popular), Korean barbecue and other cuisines from Asian countries like Thailand, China and Laos.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.