The most famous of Palermo’s four main markets is the Vucciria market<\/strong>.\u00a0 The market’s name is derived from the Sicilian language, wherein Vucciria means \u201cvoices\u201d.\u00a0 Interesting…a market named for the sound of those bartering and dealing.\u00a0 You’ll find this market, which winds through the curving graffiti-covered streets around Piazza San Domenico, in the heart of Palermo’s historic district.<\/p>\n

The Vucciria market is open every day except Sunday, from dawn until about 2 pm.\u00a0 You’ll find all kinds of fresh produce, seafood, meats and grocery items.\u00a0 Souvenirs, household goods and handcrafts are also for sale.\u00a0 A market has been held on these streets for at least 700 years.<\/p>\n

My wife and I had looked forward to strolling through the Vucciria market because of its reputation as having many “colorful” vendors and customers.\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately, we probably picked the worst day of the year to visit.\u00a0 It was bitterly cold and windy.\u00a0 Snow was in the air (it snowed later that evening) and only the bravest of merchants had set up their stalls.\u00a0 I imagine we experienced a\u00a0 mini-market, only a small fraction of what there might have been on a nice spring or summer day.\u00a0 What we saw was nice but not overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination.<\/p>\n

Or perhaps we were just observing a trend because we’re told the Vucciria market is fading away.\u00a0 New construction and development around the market is slowly eroding it — crowding it out of many streets and reducing its extent.\u00a0 That would be a shame but I suspect that somehow the market will find a way to carry on.<\/p>\n

Here’s some of what we saw on that cold winter day at Vucciria market:<\/p>\n

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