A Guide To The Markets of Palermo

Visiting the open air street markets of Palermo should be mandatory for any visitor. Wandering the four main markets, you get the sense that things have been done here in the same way, in the same place, for a long, long time. While the stalls may have changed over the past few centuries, it’s my bet that Sicilians have been slinging fish, fresh vegetables and huge cuts of meat here well before Rome came sniffing around in 241 BC, and will likely continue to do so long after I’m gone. The four main markets of Palermo are Ballaró, Capo, Vucciria and Borgo Vecchio. Each have their own distinct personality, purpose and vibe. You can easily visit all four of them in a single day, and certainly don’t need to join one of those horrible walking tours led by an umbrella touting loudmouth - just follow this guide and thank me later.

THE MARKETS OF PALERMO

WHERE: Old town, Palermo

WHY: Authentic local culture, amazing food, great prices

TIME: 1 day

Ballarò

Start your day off right in the marketplace of Ballarò, a marketplace that dates back to the 14th century at the very least. Located in the heart of the Albergheria district, and extends from Piazza Casa Professa to the ramparts of Corso Tukory towards Porta Sant'Agat. This market is easily my favourite in town, and is frequented by thousands of locals everyday, in search of fruit, fresh fish, and bric-a-brac. The market is certainly a spot for locals - nothing is fancy or pretentious here. The fruit sellers cry and yell over the top of one another, the fishmongers heft menacing cleavers, and teenagers tout cigarettes. My advice; don’t dress up for the occasion, you’ll stand out like a sore thumb. Bring cash, as nobody will accept card.

Feeling hungry? Read my guide to where to eat and drink in Palermo here

You could easily spend an hour winding your way through the stalls here, there are a myriad of fishmongers, butchers and fruit salesmen. Over the top of the market, you can see the Dome of a church, lending some gravitas to the scene. I would strong recommend visiting one of the many cafés that line the marketplace, grabbing an espresso, a breakfast arancini ball, and watching life pass you by. Hundreds of people of every race and creed work in this marketplace, and the yelling in local dialect, whilst cacophonous, is hugely entertaining. If you’re planing to cook later, grab yourself some fresh produce from one of the many vendors - you won’t find fresher in town.

While Ballarò is mainly a fresh food market, it also contains a series of stalls that sell odds and ends. whilst not quite a proper flea market, you’ll find stores selling batteries, socks and strange Catholic tokens, you never know what you may find. I spent a solid two hours wandering Ballarò, i think I ate myself into a stupor, and spent about 10 euros. The place is amazing, and I already can’t wait to go back.

CAPO

The Capo marketplace dates back to the age when the Arabs ruled Palermo and at the time, served primarily as a haven for pirates and slave merchants. Capo is located just up the road from Ballarò, entry to the Capo Market is through the Porta Carini. Much like the Ballarò market, Capo is a major trading place for agri-food. While I didn’t eat anywhere near as much at Capo market as I did at Ballarò, the fresh food sellers here were possibly louder, and were hawking produce that looked as though it had been pulled from the farm mere hours ago. While the market is no longer home to slave merchants; raffle sellers, cigarette vendors and merchants hocking stolen phones still line some of the stalls, so a disreputable strain remains.

However, the Capo market is an excellent place to people watch - streams of locals pour through the narrow arterial alleyway that the market runs along cruising past gateways, graffiti and piles of crates stacked sky high. Kids on scooters will ride through the narrow street of the market, pay them no mind - just do as the locals do, stroll luxuriantly, haggle over an aubergine, buy a doughnut, dusted oh-so-perfecty in icing sugar, this is the stuff dreams are made of. I’d recommend that you give yourself a solid hour to wander the alleyways of the Capo market. As with Ballarò, don’t bring any valuables with you - pickpockets are rampant here, and will definitely target tourists - I felt dicey taking photos with my camera, but was left unbothered, however, many other tourists haven’t been so lucky.

Heading to Palermo? Check out our itinerary for what to do in town here.

BORGO VECCHIO

Borgo Vecchio is definitely the least touristy market on this list, probably due to its location - a short fifteen minute walk from centre. Vegetables and fruit can be found here at extremely modest prices and there will be always a solid stream of locals picking up groceries. There is less of a flea market vibe to Borgo Vecchio, so if you’re looking for anything outside of food, I’d suggest sticking to Capo and Bollaro. However, Borgo Vecchio, like Vucciria is known as a bit of a drinking hole, series of stand-up bars, cheap enotecas and trattorias line the squares and alleyways, and locals will often flock here at sunset for a drink or two. If you’re feeling thirsty, why not join them? Expect to pay less than 10 euros for a couple of drinks, pretty damn affordable.

VUCCIRIA

Vucciria seems to have seen better days. While the market was once bustling due to its proximity to the Cala harbour, it’s fairly quiet nowadays.

When we visited there was little to recommend Vucciria food-wise. Aside from some sad looking fish, unappealing chicken and limp veggies lying forlornly on the stalls, there’s little here to whet your appetite on, especially compared to Bollaro and Capo.

However, Vucciria Marke’s real charm only appears at night. Once the sun sets this erstwhile forgettable market transforms itself into one of Palermo’s most lively and entertaining venues for nightlife and becomes something of a bacchanal. We visited one bar, Taverna Azzura, which was filled with several old boys that wouldn’t have looked unusual in The Godfather films.

Vucciria market is definitely worth checking out, being a few euros for a beer or a grappa, leave your valuables very much at home, and ideally eat before you get there!