The Mercato dei Fiori occupies a large building in the Valle Armea, east of Sanremo. It is the trading floor of Ligurian floriculture and one of the leading markets in the Mediterranean basin for cut flowers and foliage. Growers, wholesalers and brokers meet here for the auction, the heart of an industry that supports much of the province of Imperia and gave the Riviera dei Fiori its name.
This is not a visitor attraction: entry is limited to card-holding operators under regulations published by the manager, the company Amaie Energia e Servizi. Accompanied entry therefore rests on a named authorisation, granted case by case by the market's management. For a crew calling at Portosole it is one of the few places to observe the coast's flower industry directly, far from the greenhouses open to the public.