In Palermo there are three historical markets, the Capo, Ballarò and the Vucciria, but only one of the three, besides being a market, is also a work of art.
The Vucciria is a painting by Renato Guttuso, and if you look closely, you will see it hanging in many stores in the city, as a poster, of course. The original is in the Palazzo Steri, former seat of the Inquisition and now the Rectorate of the University of Palermo.
Quite a change, huh? The Vucciria is as much an icon of the city as its market. Palermitans often repeat that Vucciria market is nothing like it used to be, so Guttuso’s painting is a good way to imagine what the market might have looked like almost half a century ago, when he painted it in 1974.
A place full of color and market stalls with their vendors shouting their fruits, vegetables, meat, fish... while customers and passersby navigate through the crowded streets.
One of the mysteries of the painting is to know for sure how many people really are there. It is said that every time you count them you will always find a new one hidden.
If you visit it at the Steri you won’t only see it, but also hear it. The exhibition integrates a sound system that makes you really feel that you are immersed in the atmosphere of the market, with its vitality and energy.
If after visiting the painting, you take a walk through the Vucciria market you will immediately identify the street that Guttuso painted.
And if you look back you will discover the place from where he did it: the balcony of the old trattoria Shangai, where he used to go for lunch, of which unfortunately only some remains of the red structure are left.
But don’t tell me that for a moment you don’t imagine he is still there, observing the daily life of his dear Vucciria.