Three people told me to head to Eataly when I was in New York recently and despite the umpteen times I’ve been there, I had never hung out there. It is the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world at 42,500 square feet.
Located in the heart of the Flatiron District, Eataly is a collaboration between Mario Batali, Joe and Lidia Bastianisch and Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti. 
Eataly has seven eateries offering pizza, pasta, meat, fish, vegetables, panini, gelato, pastries and coffee, plus a newly-opened rooftop beer garden, Birreria.
The market sells the same quality products used by the chefs: cured meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, handmade pasta, pasties, coffee and tea as well as dried pastas, sauces and olive oil.
They even have a cooking school, bookstore and housewares section making you feel like you’re meandering through Italy not New York’s Flatiron District.
From pastas, breads and spreads to olive oils and wine, you can find it. They also have a host of restaurants, which use products from their market, including meat, salumi, cheese, fish, vegetables and fruit.
Restaurants are vast in the network including La Piazza, Il Pesce, Le Verdure, Manzo, I Panini, Rosticceria, Birreria, La Pizza & Pasta, Pasticceria, Gelateria, Caffe Lavazza, Vergnano, and more as well as great coffee and chocolate specialties.
Photo credits: LauraMiller
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
