Markets in Palermo

Palermo has three famous historic markets, Ballarò, the Capo and the Vucciria, each in its own neighbourhood and each with its own character. Ballarò market, in the Albergheria, is the liveliest: fish, fruit, spices and the abbanniate, the stallholders' sing-song calls to passers-by. The Capo market, in the lanes behind the Teatro Massimo, is smaller and just as real. The Vucciria, on Piazza Caracciolo, has few stalls by day and turns into a place to eat and drink in the evening. See Ballarò and the Capo in the morning, when the stalls are full, and eat there: arancine, panelle, boiled octopus. For antiques and second-hand finds, there is the flea market on Piazza Peranni, near the Cathedral.

Ballarò lies between the Norman Palace and the Quattro Canti, and the planner can route you through it mid-walk.