Il Mercato dei fiori 2.0

A new multimodal and logistics hub for the floriculture trade in Southern Europe

The Mercato dei fiori di Sanremo is the most important flower market in the entire Mediterranean region.

Flower Market Auction

Flower distribution after the auction session

The Mercato dei fiori di Sanremo offers a comprehensive range of cut flowers, decorative foliage and greenery, most of which come from the floriculture district of Western Liguria. In addition to outstanding local products, flowers and foliage from all over the world are also traded within the market complex.

Located on Via Q. Mansuino, 5 km from Sanremo city centre, the market is connected to Nice Airport, 60 km away. It also benefits from connections to the Autostrada dei Fiori motorway via the Aurelia Bis road and to the SS1 Aurelia coastal road. The market is open from Monday to Friday, with additional opening days during major holidays, according to the seasonal special opening calendar.

Historical background

The Mercato dei fiori di Sanremo emerged spontaneously at the beginning of the last century. Originally located in Piazza Colombo, in the centre of Sanremo, it consisted of a metal-roofed structure with a concrete facade bearing the sign “Mercato dei fiori”. Since then, while always remaining firmly rooted in the city of Sanremo, the market has undergone continuous development. It is a market built and shaped by people united by a single goal: to bring the beauty of Sanremo’s flowers to the world.

This same principle continues to inspire all those working in the floriculture industry today, and the market itself represents the embodiment of this ideal. Care and attention to detail, together with a deep understanding of the needs of flower products and everyone involved in the supply chain, have always been an essential part of Sanremo’s identity. These values have naturally encouraged the continuous evolution of the market infrastructure, enabling it to meet the changing needs of the entire floriculture industry.

The current Mercato dei fiori di Sanremo, located in Valle Armea, was built starting in the 1980s, with facilities designed from the outset to meet the needs of floriculture operators. The complex consists of two buildings. The first includes an open trading area originally intended for traditional face-to-face negotiations, the trading method used at the time. The second houses more than 70 warehouses with dedicated cold storage facilities, a central refrigeration distribution system and extensive parking areas for freight transport operators.

As the flower trade evolved, a dedicated flower storage and sale services was introduced, gradually expanding to approximately 1,600 square metres of refrigerated facilities. Later, in 2008, the flower auction service was inaugurated
Today, thanks to European funding made available through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and an investment of over €17 million, the market has undergone the largest structural redevelopment in its history.