Ballarò market

The Ballarò Market, in Palermo

The Ballarò Market is one of the most lively and colourful markets of Palermo, the oldest of the town. The Palermo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this popular and colourful market, Arab heritage and beating heart of the Albergheria district.

The oldest market of Palermo

Continuing straight in the street that opens towards the Piazza Ballarò, you come across one of the most lively and colourful markets of Palermo: the Ballarò Market. It is the oldest market of the town, whose origins date back to the era of the Arab domination, more than a thousand years ago. Since then, it has never ceased to animate the popular district of the Albergheria, perpetuating a thousand-year-old tradition. The atmosphere there is typically Sicilian and oriental: the stalls stretch as far as the eye can see along the alleys, collapsing under the fruits and vegetables filled with sun, the fresh fish, the meats, the cheeses, the olives and the spices, while the merchants shout their melodious cries of sale, the abbanniate, in the local dialect. It is also the kingdom of the Palermitan street food, famous in the whole world, where you taste on the go panelle, arancini, sfincione and other fried and tasty specialities. More than a simple market, Ballarò is a place of life and meeting, the popular soul of Palermo. A thousand-year-old market and a temple of the street food, the Ballarò Market is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you wander in the oldest market of Palermo, whose origins date back to the Arab domination, heart of the popular district of the Albergheria, where the stalls collapse under the fruits, fresh fish, cheeses and spices to the sound of the cries of sale of the merchants, and where you taste the famous Palermitan street food, panelle, arancini and sfincione, in a Sicilian and oriental atmosphere. The Ballarò Market is the popular soul of Palermo. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Ballarò Market deploys in the Albergheria district, in the heart of Palermo, reachable on foot. The market is generally held during the day, more lively in the morning. It is a freely accessible public space; the usual vigilance is required in the crowd of the alleys. It is the ideal place to taste the Palermitan street food.

What is the Ballarò Market in Palermo?

The oldest market of Palermo, whose origins date back to the Arab domination more than a thousand years ago, heart of the popular district of the Albergheria; its stalls collapse under the fruits, fresh fish, cheeses and spices to the sound of the cries of sale of the merchants, and it is the kingdom of the famous Palermitan street food, panelle, arancini and sfincione.

Where is the Ballarò Market in Palermo?

In the Albergheria district, in the heart of Palermo, in Italy.