Last September during our street food tour of Palermo, I spotted this T-shirt while we were in La Vucciria market. It exemplifies how different the market is today than it was years ago (and that I am a geek for anything Palermitano and cannoli-related!). La Vucciria gets its name from an ancient Sicilian word for chaos: because at one time, when the daily outdoor street market was in full swing, the multi-colored stalls, the seemingly infinite number of products for sale, and the calls and chants of the butchers, fish mongers, and vegetable, dairy, and everything-else-under-the-sun salesmen created a great cacophony. Mix that with nefarious goings-on related to cash businesses, and the neighborhood was organized chaos. Today, activities during the day in La Vucciria have faded. It’s not nearly as vibrant as it once was; however, at night, it comes to life with new energy. This upbeat, whimsical T-shirt design, featuring a Palermo-style cannolo, illustrates the new attitude you’ll find in La Vucciria–artists, musicians, foodies, and thrill-seekers have reclaimed the water-soaked streets, ensuring that the thousand-year-old hub will continue on.
