Italians are very fond of specialized grocery stores that sell exactly that one thing you have been looking for: the bakery, the butcher, the greengrocer, the dairy store… this way, you can entrust the expertise of the specialized sellers to provide you with product of the highest quality!
In Italian, to express the concept of going to these specialized stores, we have two options: using the noun that indicates the establishment or using the noun that indicates the person working there:
| La macelleria – Butcher's shop | Il macellaio – Butcher |
| La pescheria – Fishmonger's shop | Il pescivendolo – Fishmonger |
| Il panificio / La panetteria – Bakery | Il panettiere – Baker |
| La gelateria – Ice-cream parlor | Il gelataio – Ice-cream vendor |
| La pasticceria – Pastry shop | Il pasticcere – Pastry chef |
| L'ortofrutta – Greengrocer's shop | Il fruttivendolo – Greengrocer |
| La salumeria – Delicatessen | Il salumiere – Charcuterie maker |
| La latteria – Dairy shop | Il lattaio – Milkman |
Using the noun that indicates the person working the store is the most common option, since it enlightens how much Italians value the expertise of the specialized vendor!
However, pay attention to this linguistic quirk:
In Italian, to indicate that we are going to someone's place, we use the preposition “da”.
For example:
– Vado da Maria. (I'm going to Maria's.)
– Vieni da me? (Are coming to my place?)
This usage carries on when talking about going to a professional's place! So, if you want to say that you are going to the butcher's, you have two options:
– Vado in macelleria (I'm going to the butcher's shop)
– Vado dal macellaio (I'm going to the butcher)
So… which option would you choose?
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