(ANSA) - Rome, October 6 - Rome's Central Market opened yesterday at the Via Giolitti entrance to the main Termini station.
    The foodies haven selling fresh seasonal delicacies and artisanal products is the brainchild of experienced restaurateur Umberto Montano, who opened a hugely successful similar outfit in Florence that has already seen three million visitors this year. The market has created 285 new jobs and the artisans have been carefully selected to produce and sell food that can be eaten in or taken away. Visitors have access to wi-fi and communal tables with space for 500 people.
    The Florence project also began in a central area but with problems of urban decay and now offers animated discussions on science and contemporary art events among the food stalls. In Rome the challenge looks set to be more difficult but Montano wants to leverage the cinematic and theatrical heritage in the capital. The market is dominated by the 'cappa mazzoniana', a monumental hood designed by architect Angiolo Mazzoni in the 1930s. In all, 15 artisanal shops are arranged to form a market 'square' on the ground floor, while the restaurant overseen by German chef Oliver Glowig is on the first floor.
    Montano describes the Market as "a place of interlocking and shared interests with the dream of doing good to Rome, restoring taste and beauty to a city to which we owe a great deal".