Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chiesa di San Giovanni
degli Eremiti
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
CHURCH
( 091 651 50 19; Via dei Benedettini 16; adult/reduced €6/3; 9am-6.30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun & Mon)
This remarkable, five-domed remnant of Arab-Norman architecture occupies a magical
little hillside in the middle of an otherwise rather squalid neighbourhood. Surrounded by a
garden of citrus trees, palms, cacti and ruined walls, it's built atop a mosque that itself was
superimposed on an earlier chapel. The peaceful Norman cloisters outside offer lovely
views of the Palazzo dei Normanni.
DON'T MISS
STREET MARKETS
Palermo's historical ties with the Arab world and its proximity to North Africa are reflected in the noisy street life
of the city's ancient centre, and nowhere is this more evident than in its markets.
Each of the four historic quarters of Palermo has its own market, but the Vucciria, Ballarò and Capo are the
'Big Three' in terms of popularity and history.
The Mercato della Vucciria OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Piazza Caracciolo) is the most dishevelled of the
three, with rough-edged customers, carts selling street snacks, a small number of produce stalls and often-grumpy
stallholders. The Mercato di Ballarò OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP is filled with stalls displaying household
goods, clothes and foodstuffs of every possible description - this is where many Palermitans do their daily shop.
The Mercato del Capo OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP , which extends through the tangle of lanes and alley-
ways of the Albergheria and Capo quarters respectively, is the most atmospheric of all. Here, meat carcasses sway
from huge metal hooks, glistening tuna and swordfish are expertly dismembered, and anchovies are filleted. Long
and orderly lines of stalls display pungent cheeses, tubs of plump olives and a huge array of luscious fruits and
voluptuous vegetables.
The markets open from 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday (until 1pm on Wednesday), although they are busier
in the morning. Remember: keep an eye on your belongings while exploring.
TOP OF CHAPTER
1 Capo
Bordering the Albergheria quarter, Il Capo is another web of interconnected streets and
blind alleys. As impoverished as its neighbour, it too has a popular street market, the Mer-
cato del Capo, which runs the length of Via Sant'Agostino and terminates at Porta Carini,
one of Palermo's oldest town gates. The centrepiece of the quarter is the imposing monas-
tery of Chiesa di Sant'Agostino OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Church of Saint Augustine; Via Sant'Agostino;
8am-noon & 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 8am-noon Sun) , which ran the region in medieval times.
 
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