The center of Sicily’s biggest city was emptied by the mafia. Now it’s being reclaimed by migrants

Ballarò market sits at the center of Palermo, Sicily’s biggest city, and has been busy with trade for more than a thousand years. Even as time has passed, the market’s spirit has stayed the same. Every day, vendors fill the Albergheria neighborhood with stalls selling fresh produce, seafood, and household goods. The place buzzes with energy as sellers and customers haggle over prices.

Orietta Sorgi, an ethno-anthropologist who studies Sicily's cultural heritage, says markets like Ballarò have shaped Palermo's identity for hundreds of years.

The earliest known reference to Ballarò comes from Ibn Hawqal, a Baghdad-born merchant who wrote about Palermo’s significance over a thousand years ago. The market has stayed at the heart of city life through wars and waves of modernization. Sorgi points out that Ballarò has weathered plenty of hard times and has never stopped moving forward.

Today, vendors worry that business is dropping off. They blame competition from bigger, cheaper stores and the city’s move to limit car access nearby. Salvatore Cusimano, a pharmacist who has worked in the area for twenty years, says life in the neighborhood is getting harder. He thinks the run-down condition of the area keeps people in poverty and makes it easier for the mafia to operate. Cusimano believes better services are needed to fight the mafia’s influence.

Still, things may not be as bad as they seem. Many locals now shop at air-conditioned supermarkets, but the market draws a wide range of people. Migrants have moved into the once-empty streets around Ballarò, bringing new energy to the city........

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