Top 20: Italy

Italy's love affair with the concept store:
Idea Natura, Salerno

South of Naples, in the Italian district of Salerno, comes a supermarket that finally lives up to its superlative name. Designed by Milan-based CB’a Design Solutions, Idea Natura opened in January 2010 and offers a direct point of sale for the region’s small, independent producers of fruits and vegetables, local meats, cheeses and wines. Think of it as a farmer’s market with regular hours, a roof and great looking stall furniture in marbled walnut. Most of the products are organic and all, from the mozzarella di bufala campana to the local carciofi di Paestum artichokes, come directly to the sleekly designed space fresh off the trucks from local producers. Best of all, with no middle man, the consumers pay less than regular supermarket prices and the farmers earn more. Now that’s what we call super. Piana del Sele, www.ideanatura.com

fashion 08 Oct 2010