You bet the first thing I did was figure out where a local market was. And lucky me! Within five minutes of my hotel, I found the best Street Market in Catania. Located near Via Pacini 41, this market is enormous! Fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, clothes, household goods, you name it, you will find it here!
The Market
A little info first, this market on google maps is simply called ‘Street Market’. It covers an area of multiple streets that angle off a large open square in front of Basilica Satuario del Carmine. Approaching from any number of roads you are bound to bump right into this market.
Fruit & Veg
Incredible! If you want to see what is in season and listen to lively banter and local bartering, this is the perfect place! I was enveloped by the sounds of Sicily and its beautiful people shopping for their dinner.
The food is as fresh and ripe as can be. There are many vendors of produce, so take your pick of you want to purchase anything. These vendors are not really catering to tourists, but you can see a few of them have displays that would attract the eyes of instragrammers (like myself). 😂
Cheese
Most of the cheese vendors were located down one or two streets off the large produce section. Their products looked phenomenal and so delicious. I was happy to watch and learn how the locals were purchasing the products, usually by the 100 gram or kilo.
Meat & Seafood
Be prepared. You are going to witness the graphic and visually stimulating preparation and sale of animal products. If you think this might bother you when you visit, simply avoid this area. It is very concentrated, so easy to walk away if you should not want to see. But…this pales in comparison to another market I will show you in a future post. The Catania fish & meat market…
I am fascinated by all things local and food related, so found this very interesting. I had never seen organ parts splayed out on a table and left. Being from Canada, the production of meat is very sterilized, so to see meat out in the open air is still foreign to me.
Clothing
Similar to the markets in Salerno and Rome, there are vendors selling piles and piles of clothing that are purchased as large bales. They simply open a new bale onto the table in the morning, and the people crowd around and pick through to find the treasures. Prices range from €1 to €10 depending on the vendor, but most places are under €5.
Linens
If you are a collector of vintage or antique linens, this market could be a treasure trove for you. I used to be an avid collector of these products and it was very difficult to resist rifling through the piles of gorgeous old cotton and linen bedding, towels, doilies and such. Forgive the photo’s, it was getting cloudy so they are somewhat dark.
Everything Else
Make-up, kitchenware, household goods, jewellery, antiques, shoes, live birds & turtles, there was a huge number of vendors selling all sorts of goods at this outdoor street market in Catania. If you are visiting for a short time, or living abroad, this might be a great place to source some inexpensive things for your home.
I really enjoyed spending time at this Street Market in Catania. Not wanting to miss a single thing, I walked through once, then doubled back and walked through again. The vendors are lovely and lively. Listening them calling out to attract buyers is one of my favourite things about Italian markets. Seeing the local food, how vibrant and perfect it is always brings me immense joy.
