Eataly Opens Its Largest Location Yet

A derelict train terminal near the city center in Rome has undergone a massive renovation to become the largest Eataly location yet. The once abandoned Roma Ostiense train station re-opens its doors Thursday as a gourmet market and international food destination for connoisseurs and amateur home cooks alike, according to the Eataly's website.

The gourmet's paradise will feature 18 restaurants, each individually inspired by a single ingredient or dish, including vegetables, panini, pasta, fish, mozzarella, and gelato. Customers can also shop at the bars, cafés, wine shop, and tasting stands, as well as the specialty markets for olive oils, pastas, wines, cheeses, and meats.

The 160,000-square-foot Rome Eataly market includes eight classrooms to teach about Italian food and wine.

Built for the football World Cup in 1990, the Roma Ostiense train station was designed as a hub for trains to Fiumicino airport, but was only used for a few months before closing down. In the years following, the terminal fell into disrepair until it was chosen to become Eataly's new location.

Eataly has stores in New York, northern Italy, and Tokyo, and plans to open additional locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Toronto, including five more in Italy alone. Tentative plans to open stores in London and Paris are also being considered for possible openings by 2015, according to the New York Daily News.