Post-Festa Sundays in Little Italy Just Hit Different — and Conte di Savoia & Maxwell Street Market Are the Reason Why
By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/University Village Little Italy ·
The Taylor Street Little Italy Festa flags may be coming down, but University Village Little Italy's best Sunday tradition is just hitting its stride. With the neighborhood buzzing in post-Festa afterglow, two beloved Near West Side institutions are reminding neighbors why August weekends here are worth savoring long after the last stage lights go dark.
Conte di Savoia, the legendary Italian market at 1438 W. Taylor St. that has been a neighborhood staple since 1948, is the natural first stop — a place to load up on fresh sandwiches, imported cheeses, and house-made salads before wandering south to the Maxwell Street Market, the city's oldest open-air market and a 100-year-plus institution in its own right. Together, the two stops make for one of the most authentically Chicago Sunday routines anywhere on the Near West Side: a slow browse through imported Italian goods, followed by the eclectic, vendor-driven energy of Maxwell Street, where local sellers, street food, and live music collide every week.
This is the Little Italy that doesn't need a festival to shine — it's woven into the everyday rhythm of the neighborhood. Whether you're a longtime resident or a newcomer discovering the corridor for the first time, this Sunday double-header is the perfect way to decompress after a big Festa week. Have you done the Conte di Savoia-to-Maxwell Street Sunday loop? Share your haul and tag @SocialhoodChicago with #LittleItalyChicago — let's celebrate the weekly rituals that make this neighborhood home!
Sources:
1. https://www.choosechicago.com/neighborhoods/little-italy-university-village/
2. https://www.optionpremier.com/blogs/2026/3/23/little-italy-university-village-chicago-neighborhood-guide