Shopping

Palermo is like a grand shopping bazaar. You'll find a little bit of everything here, including boutiques of high fashion. Many shoppers seek out the expert craftspeople known for their skill in producing any number of goods, especially beautiful coral jewelry. Embroidered fabrics are another specialty item. Some visitors come to Palermo just to purchase ceramics.

Palermo markets are the most colorful in southern Italy. At these markets, all the bounty of Sicily -- fruits, vegetables, fish -- is elegantly displayed. Since it is unlikely you will be staying in accommodations with kitchen facilities, the markets are mainly for sightseeing, although they do offer an array of clothing and crafts as well.

For the best shopping, head for Via della Libertà, north of the city's medieval core within a 19th-century residential neighborhood of town houses and mid-20th-century apartment buildings that evoke some of the more upscale residential sections of Barcelona.

Within this same neighborhood, Via Principe di Belmonte is an all-pedestrian thoroughfare with many hip and elegant shops, as well as fashionable cafes such as Spinnato.

The two other principal shopping streets in the old town are Via Roma and Via Maqueda.

Monday morning is the worst time to shop, as nearly all stores are closed. Otherwise, general shopping hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 7 or 7:30pm, Saturday 4 to 8pm.

Sampling the Local Vino -- Sicily's hot climate and volcanic soil nurture a wealth of vineyards, many of which produce simple table wines. Of the better vintages, the best known is Marsala, a sweet dessert wine produced in both amber and ruby tones. One name that evokes years of winemaking traditions, thanks to the winery's skill at producing Cerasucio di Vittoria and Moscato di Pantelleria, is Corvo Duca di Salaparuta, a 19th-century winery in the hills above Palermo. For information, contact the Casa Vinicola Duca di Salaparuta, Via Nazionale, SS113, Casteldaccia, 90014 Palermo (tel. 091-953988). If you'd like to visit, call ahead to make an appointment and get directions. Note: This winery produces the Moscato di Pantelleria wine but not Marsala, which is produced only in Marsala.

Markets

The Muslims were active traders, and Palermo's markets, which spill over into narrow alleys shaded by colorful awnings, still have an Arabic feel. Nothing else connects you with local life more than a visit to a bustling Palermo market.

The best, most famous market in Palermo is La Vucciria. In Sicilian dialect, vucciria means "hubbub" or "voices," and that's what you'll hear here. The market spills onto the narrow side streets of Piazza San Domenico, off Via Roma between Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the San Domenico church. This is one of Europe's great casbahlike markets, with mountains of food ranging from fresh swordfish steaks to all sorts of meat and recently harvested produce, reflecting the bounty of the Sicilian countryside. The array of such items as wild fennel, long-stemmed artichokes, blood oranges, and giant octopus will astound you. This market trades Monday through Saturday until 2pm. Try to go before 10am, when it's at its most frenetic and colorful. The markets described below keep roughly the same hours.

If you're seized with market fever, you can also visit Mercato di Capo, a large street market that captures some of the spirit of the city's Saracen past. This market sprawls around the area of Chiesa di Sant'Agostino. Clothing stalls flank the streets of Via S. Agostino and Via Bandiera; the items here tend to be cheap and poorly made. More interesting is the food section off Via Volturno, which spreads along Via Beati Paoli and Via Porta Carini. The most colorful part of this market converges around Piazza Beati Paoli. The stalls wind toward the old gate, Porta Carini, which used to be a part of the city wall surrounding Palermo.

The third great market of Palermo is Ballarò, in the Albergheria district, roughly between Piazza Carmine leading to Piazza Casa Professa and Piazza S. Chiara. This is mainly a food market, with mountains of fruits and vegetables along with fishmongers and hawkers of discount clothing.

Feasting at the Markets -- We like to visit the markets not only to look at the fabulous produce, but also to enjoy some of the tastiest snacks in Sicily. It's a great way to have lunch as you graze from stall to stall.

Some visitors stroll along while munching chopped boiled octopus (purpu in Sicilian) and delectable, freshly cooked artichokes. Naturally, there's plenty of fresh bread and luscious vine-ripened fruit as well.

You can also purchase absolutely delicious panelle (chickpea fritters) or calzoni (deep-fried meat- or cheese-filled pockets of dough). If you have an adventurous palate, dig in to a roll filled with beef spleen or tripe, called pani cu' la meuza. These pani are often topped with fresh ricotta or a velvety cheese known as caciocavallo. Hot sauce is sprinkled on at the last moment.