VUCCIRIA

The Most Famous And Renowned Markets In Palermo

BY IM TEAM

In those bygone days, and even earlier — during the Arab rule, Vucciria was a favorite place to do business. The market bustled with the voices and languages of Asians, Pisans, Genovese, Venetian and Amalfi merchants as well. This thanks to the proximity of the Cala harbor.

In those days, as you elbowed your way through the dense and twisted alleys of the Vucciria market, you could allow yourself a stand inside the crowd in one of the squares where shoppers found every ingredient one might desire for some real Sicilian cuisine: fish, fruit, vegetables, spices and of course, meat of every kind.

Today, however, apart from some stinking fish and limp veggies lying forlornly on the stalls, there’s really nothing to make it worth your time to wake up early to visit this market.

But wait! As they say on TV, there’s more: When the sun goes down, Vucciria Market transforms itself into one of Palermo’s most lively and entertaining venues for nightlife and certainly deserves a visit by everyone (except for monks and nuns).

At night, this normally gaunt and apparently dying marketplace fills with some really alternative types. You’ll see Goths and punks as well as some more-orless normal unpretentious people dancing and drinking alongside a young criminal element.

They’re all here to enjoy the nightlife beneath a starry sky in the midst of these ancient and crumbling buildings of Garraffello Square.