Stories

In the courtyards of Capo, you can find street art dedicated to a legendary local figure, Nino U Sciupa. When he was young, he loved women and the good life. Later he got married, and he and his wife adopted two children born to prostitutes. In old age, when he was very poor, he collected things people had thrown away in the street, sold them at the Ballarò market, and used the money to buy food and clothes for African mothers and children.

At the Oratorio di San Lorenzo, I was especially struck by the 17th-century benches — wood inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, with carved legs, each showing a different scene. Then my eye caught a tiny inscription, Hospitalitas — “hospitality” — on one of the ten large sculptures. Each represents a different Christian virtue.

Via Calderai was once so noisy that a 19th-century English traveller called it “the noisiest place in Europe” — the sound of hammering metal filled the street all day long. It’s much quieter now, but the craft is still alive.

This tiny rosticceria has been around for about 200 years, and all this time it has been tucked away in the courtyard of Palazzo De Stefano. They’ve kept the old tradition of making every snack small — perfect for me, because I can try a little bit of everything from Palermo’s street-food classics.

In Piazza Politeama, there’s a small bronze sculpture called “The Homeless”, showing two boys. According to the legend, on a cold winter day they managed to collect a little money — enough either for two worn-out jackets or for a very modest dinner. Unable to choose between warmth and food, they split the money: one ate, the other bought a jacket. The first died from the cold that same night, while the second stayed warm and survived — giving him another chance to find food.

At the very beginning of Ballarò Market, there’s a tiny alley named after one of the most mysterious people ever born in Palermo — Count Cagliostro. A great adventurer, a brilliant con man, an alchemist, a healer, or simply someone who knew how to tell a convincing story.

There used to be a bakery at Capo market called Panificio Morello, decorated with a golden mosaic of Demeter that locals called Pupa du Capo — “the girl of Capo.” One version of how it came to be begins with the love story of a young woman from a noble family and a simple baker, Salvatore Morello.