Snaking for several city blocks southeast of Palazzo dei Normanni is Palermo's busiest street market, which throbs with activity well into the early evening. It's a fascinating mix of noises, smells and street life, and the cheapest place for everything from Chinese padded bras to fresh produce, fish, meat, olives and cheese – smile nicely for un assaggio (a taste).
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Mercato di Ballarò
Top choice in Palermo
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.26 MILES
Inspired by a vision of the Virgin and determined to outdo his grandfather Roger II, who was responsible for the cathedral in Cefalù and the Cappella…
0.39 MILES
Designed by Roger II in 1130, this extraordinary chapel is Palermo's top tourist attraction. Located on the middle level of Palazzo dei Normanni's three…
0.39 MILES
Home to Sicily's regional parliament, this venerable palace dates back to the 9th century. However, it owes its current look (and name) to a major Norman…
0.29 MILES
A feast of geometric patterns, ziggurat crenellations, maiolica cupolas and blind arches, Palermo's cathedral has suffered aesthetically from multiple…
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia
0.68 MILES
Housed in the stately 15th-century Palazzo Abatellis, this art museum – widely regarded as Palermo's best – showcases works by Sicilian artists dating…
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Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
0.24 MILES
Built as a hospice in the early 14th century and transformed into a Dominican convent the following century, this monastic complex wows with its…
0.57 MILES
Taking over 20 years to complete, Palermo's neoclassical opera house is the largest in Italy and the second-largest in Europe. The closing scene of The…
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Palazzina Cinese & Parco della Favorita
4.1 MILES
Once a retreat for King Ferdinand IV and his wife Maria Carolina, this pagoda-inspired pavilion exemplifies the popularity of 'Oriental exotica' in 18th…
Nearby Palermo attractions
0.08 MILES
Also known as Casa Professa, this is one of Palermo's most breathtaking churches. The Jesuits first built a church on this site between 1564 and 1578…
2. Chiesa Capitolare di San Cataldo
0.19 MILES
This 12th-century church in Arab-Norman style is one of Palermo's most striking buildings. With its dusky-pink bijou domes, solid square shape, blind…
0.2 MILES
On the southern side of Piazza Bellini, this luminously beautiful 12th-century church was endowed by King Roger's Syrian emir, George of Antioch, and was…
4. Museo Regionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea della Sicilia (Riso)
0.2 MILES
In a restored 18th-century neoclassical palazzo, this two-level bastion of modern and contemporary art includes an extraordinary installation by Greek…
5. Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini
0.22 MILES
In the southwestern corner of the Quattro Canti is this 17th-century church, topped by an elegant cupola designed by Giuseppe Mariani and flanked by the…
0.22 MILES
The disparate architectural styles and eras of the buildings adorning this magnificent piazza should by rights be visually discordant, but in fact…
0.23 MILES
Fringed by imposing churches and buildings, Piazza Pretoria is dominated by the over-the-top Fontana Pretoria, one of Palermo's major landmarks. The…
8. Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
0.24 MILES
Built as a hospice in the early 14th century and transformed into a Dominican convent the following century, this monastic complex wows with its…