Our story

Our mission is to inspire a community of like-minded people who share the quality, integrity and honor of the original Mercati Generali.

We want to work with partners who deliver the highest quality products and services, in the tradition of the old-world values found in the best markets of last century's Rome.

Origin

The original Mercati Generali was a marketplace that opened in Rome in 1921. It was a place where people bought, sold and traded the highest quality goods and services.

There, the quality and integrity of what you sold was the most important currency. Small trades of every kind lived side by side with a common respect: staying true to your word and to the promise of being the best of the best. A market where quality and on-time delivery were truly prestigious values, unlike what we have come to expect from today's marketplace.

And not to be forgotten was the pride people felt in being part of something so exclusive and so well respected. It was an experience many Romans treasured, and it brought the community together in ways we rarely see in today's crowded world of commerce.

My grandfather

I will never forget visiting my grandfather, Antonio Traniello, on his farm as a kid, where he grew his produce. I saw his stacked cases of vegetables, carrots among them, and when I went to grab a couple, he quickly told me not to touch them.

I asked why, and he replied: "Because they're going to the Mercati Generali, and I've already weighed them for the customers. But don't worry..." Then he put on his dirty, worn shoes, walked into the wet fields and the mud, and came back with freshly picked carrots, just to make me happy.

What I took from that moment is that, above all else, my grandfather wanted to keep his word, be respected, deliver what he promised and prove he was one of the hardest workers. That integrity is what made him a merchant of the Mercati Generali.

For my grandfather, currency came down to a few simple words:

Hard work · Honesty · Integrity · Punctuality · Quality · Respect

He knew that with these values he could take care of his family, and that is exactly what he did.

Looking back at my background and my heritage, I realized I wanted to follow in my grandfather's footsteps by founding Mercati Generali: a new way of bringing together the best of the best.