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. Each have their own distinct personality, purpose and vibe.
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. 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. Hundreds of people of every race and creed work in this marketplace, and the yelling in local dialect, whilst cacophonous, is hugely entertaining. 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.
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. Heading to Palermo? Check out our itinerary for what to do in town here. Borgo Vecchio is definitely the least touristy market on this list, probably due to its location - a short fifteen minute walk from centre.
