Savoring Palermo: In The Markets And Beyond

Always wanted to try a Culinary Backstreet Tour. Enrica was right! I am hooked. This will be the food tour top of my list wherever I travel next. Every food stop was a delightful surprise from the beginning to the end. It was the highlight of my visit to Palermo.

Francesca was an amazing guide. We were five friends who have done many food tours and this one stood out as the best. We were taken to really good, non touristy, food stops and had delicious tastings including Iris (a doughnut filled with ricotta and chocolate), arancina (the best I have ever tasted) and many others. Francesca explained how the history of Palermo and the food were closely linked. We also visited a puppeteer’s workshop which was an added bonus. Would highly recommend.

This tour made me fall in love with Palermo. Erica showed us wonderful places, not only providing new tastes, but also historical and cultural context. From typical street food to exquisite pasticceria, it was FUN and thoughtfully paced and structured. (It was my first Culinary Backstreets tour.)

Our guide Francesca was amazing, highly recommended! The tour was fun, an easy walk, well structured and we had the chance to engage with vendors and enjoy their porduce and knowledge. The recommendations were fantastic. We revisted several of the vendors / locations multiple times during the remainder of our visit to Palermo.

Fantastic tour with Enriqua! She was punctual and easy to find and shared her lived experience as a native of Palermo - we loved the vendors and tastes she curated for us. It was a lot of food and a moderate amount of walking. We saw some of Palermo's landmarks and visited 2 markets. We really loved having her take us through the markets which would otherwise have been somewhat overwhelming to navigate, but some of our favorite bites (red prawns, arancini, spleen sandwich) were thoughtfully picked by our guide and she gave us a history of the food and vendors as well. This was our 3rd Culinary Backstreets tour and won't be our last.

This guys at Cullinnary Backstreets, are really incredible. They always deliver. My wife plans our holidays on places where they have a tour... Probably means I'll be going next year to Seoul :) Really amazing market food and cultural experience. The guide was super knowledgable, we learned about all the different cultures mixing in Palermo. Great great food, amazing stories.

A wonderful morning in the markets of Palermo... we saw a lot of the city we would not have seen on our own... lots of tastings, fantastic food and a lot of history of the city. And a couple of surprise stops !

AMAZING! I cannot recommend this company highly enough - we rarely join group tours and I wanted to be assured that this would be interesting vs. walking around with someone saying 'this is an arancini' and boy, did I get my wish. Enrica was perfection - utterly knowledgable and sincere in her love of Palermo - we walked (miles) and each stop and the talking in between stops was a discussion of history and culture and how the food reflects that. We even made a stop that was at a silver/goldsmith so she could further tell the story of the real tradespeople that populated the neighborhood. Our food went through many styles - from 1 street vendor to fancy waterfront to perfect pistachios from a life-long nut-vendor to the purveyor of a sweetener from a grove of trees only found in sicily. Ended with the world's best ricotta cheesecake and we were beyond happy. Culinary Backstreets personally answered each of my emails in a timely fashion and I would - and will - use them again for any new destinations.

Palermo is famous for food, but with this tour we had the best if it, along with the stories behind. The hidden gems, skipping the touristic hooks, we enjoyed a great tour with Enrica. Our lovely guide was very resourceful and also gifted us with a surprise that is very rare to experience. I cannot recommend more, thank you Enrica ❤️

Wow. Alessandra took us on an incredible whirlwind tour of Palermo. We ate a huge variety of delicious food, a lot of which we would never have found ourselves. She taught us a lot about the city and Sicily as well. She was tireless and full of energy and charming and generous. We loved every minute and could not recommend this tour more.

Our guide Paola was very knowledgeable, nice, entertaining and knew every inch of the tour. We sampled great food, my only advice is listen to her and pace yourself!

Larisa was the perfect guide! So knowledgeable about Palermo and a great introduction to the city and food. Pace was perfect and we ate and saw things we could never have found on our own. Highly recommend.

This is my 5th food tour ... the 4th with CB. Enrica was a fantastic leader who has an engaging personality, and one that is patiently accommodating to the needs and contraints of various participants. We were a group of 4 couples, and she gave a depthful tour of the unique food scene in palermo but put everything in perspective to the history of sicily (she is historian and tour guide as well). All 8 of us loved the tour (including the vegeterians, many in their first food tour). Thank you Enrica - your tour and the one in istanbul by Ur have been the best so far.

Francesca is a fantastic guide. She led the tour even though I was the only participant. She is very knowledgeable about food in Palermo and took me to local, traditional food shops that have been in business for years. She tailored the tour to my interests and patiently answered all of my questions. Highly recommend.

we LOVED walking around with Francessa for a tour through the markets. we ate so many delicious things we wouldn’t have been able to find without her. the trip was planned so well, pacing out many things to eat with lots to learn. very highly recommend!!

our third culinary backstreets tour (after doing two amazing tours in queens, ny). the palermo version did not disappoint! our guide, francesca, was an incredible host — warm, responsive to our interests, full of knowledge. this tour is such a special opportunity to visit an authentic palermo we would not have gotten to experience otherwise. we felt lucky to sit at the tables, to gather at the stalls and to visit the shops of some extremely special local businesses.

Did my first Culinary Backstreets tour several years ago in Istanbul. Will book one whenever they are available. I booked 2 tours for Palermo and enjoyed both. Enjoyed the behind the scenes (sugar mold making - bakery ovens) that were included and also always seem to meet other interesting travelers.

Excellent tour through the markets and neighbourhoods. Our guide was knowledgeable and interesting and the food was tasty and diverse.

What a wonderful way to explore Palermo - food, markets and a few other gems hidden in backstreets. We enjoyed one place so much that we returned the next day for lunch. Francesca is a wonderful and engaging tour guide /host. She takes time to explain and to answer questions. She added a stop at a small, local trattoria near the end of our tour because she was concerned that we were still hungry… we weren’t brave enough to try some of the local delicacies that use animal’s organs :-) Touring with Francesca was a fantastic non-touristy introduction to Palermo.

Francesca was a wonderful guide. Everything you would want….friendly, knowledgable, and willing to take the time to answer group’s questions.

This was a perfect food tour. The first I’ve done with culinary backstreet tours and I could not recommend enough. Enrica, our tour guide, was amazing. She took us to her personal butcher and fishmonger. She also took us one of the last 3 puppet makers in Palermo, which was a truly amazing experience. We ate food that we definitely would not have tried and everything was delicious. Also extreme knowledgable about Sicilian history, which was so interesting. The whole tour was fabulous.

The tour was excellent. One of the best walking tours and street food we ever had. Francesca. Our guide did not miss a beat. I felt that I was with family.

As with all CB tours (we have taken multiple) this was picture perfect. The guide was knowledgeable and warm, the stops were those we could not have known or found on our own, and the logistics were well thought out.

A terrific food tour... well above the average! Francesca took us to a number of locations, each one showcasing typically Sicilian (and Palermo) foods... places we would never have found ourselves. Each tasting was superb. In addition, we learnt a lot of history of Palermo. Another highlight was a visit to the Marionette maker, showing us how the puppets are made and even entertaining us with a short duel between the puppets! This wad a great tour and Francesca maade the whole city come alive with her knowledge and interest in making the tour enjoyable for all of us.

Our guide Alessandra was superb! So personable and informative. She gave us great insights into the culinary scene of Palermo combining history and culture into the experience. She was welcoming and generous with her time and exuded her passion for the city as she introduced us to many aspects of the Palermo food scene from every angle, Highly recommend this tour!

This was the most incredible tour. The best history, culture and food. This is a must book tour. It seems long, but there were so many sitting breaks. The food was adventurous, yummy, and sensitive to local and family owned businesses. The cultural stops to the puppeteer and pasta utensil carver was so precious. We understood the layout of the street names for what was made or sold there. We got such a great overview of the city and food culture.

It was a great food tour highlighting the culture of Palermo. It was well worth the price knowing the food was authentic and safe. Our guide was excellent, she knew her history and gave us the opportunity to talk with the people making our food.

An excellent day from start to finish. Enrica really showed us the best of Palermo’s culinary backstreets. The tour was conducted at the perfect pace and Enrica’s knowledge of enthusiasm for Palermo and its vibrant food scene was first class. A truly memorable day out. Thank you!

What an amazing day we spent with Francesca in Palermo discovering all the best places to eat in Sicily streets and markets. Honestly, I'm still talking about it and what we ate, learned and experienced on this tour. Francesca born and raised in Palermo along with many generations of her fmly and she gave us what she know great food and history. We had the best of the best of Italian food, snacks, treats etc. Do not hesitate taking this tour. Thank you Francesca!

This food tour was absolutely fantastic. Our guide, Enrica, showed us so many foods that we had not encountered in our stay in Palermo. Enrica was also extremely knowledgeable about local history and culture and we loved listening to her stories about Palermo. And we certainly didn’t leave the tour hungry! I thoroughly recommend this tour. If you are into trying food beyond the tourist traps it is a must.

Two friends and I visiting Palermo for the first time took a Culinary Backstreets tour with Francesca. They came highly recommended by another friend who raved about the tour he took with CB in Istanbul. We all considered it the highlight of our 10-day trip to Sicily. Francesca was so informative, about the food culture but also the history of the city. She is very personable and seemed to know almost everyone working in the markets we visited. And with a heat dome over the city, she was considerate to our needs to take short heat breaks -- in my case, including to a café serving aperol spritzes. Our experience was so positive that we hope to build future trips around other cities with Culinary Backstreet tours.

What an amazing tour! Francesca, was so knowledgeable, the food what out of this world. So many place you can't know as a tourist. I'm really glad with did this tour.

I joined the evening tour and enjoyed my time so much that I booked the morning market tour- both were diverse enough to paint different yet complimentary pictures of Palermo. Our tour guide Enrica was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, kind and an absolute joy. Her passion for the city and its food was palpable and really enriched my experience and appreciation for Palermo- her inclusion of local purveyors and their stories brought additional depth to her expertise. Highly recommended and go on an empty stomach!

My friend and I loved taking this food tour with Enrica. Enrica was so kind and knowledgeable and told us so much about Palermo's history and food culture. We ended the tour and felt like we understood Palermo's culture and cuisine. We explored two famous food markets and tried delicious street food like arancini, panelle, and panzerotti and walked all over Palermo's neighborhoods. Enrica was a wonderful guide who was born and raised in Palermo. It was great getting to meet and talk to a local and we appreciated all that she shared with us. She was wonderful and I highly recommend taking a tour with her!

A great five hour tour through the streets and alleys of Palermo! Enrica was a wonderful (and authentic) guide for our small group, teaching us not only about the foods and dishes of Palermo but also about the people and history of the city and island. We visited a small bread baker, gelato place, butcher and fishmonger, the food markets, and even a marionette maker. A thorough and wonderful experience.

simply the best - Paola was the perfect host - guiding us through all of the flavours, experiences and joys of Palermo. We loved how Paola wove in the history with the flavours in all of the things we tried. It is that history and how it forms and changes the cuisine of Sicily that makes Sicily unique - Paola's passion for the food and Palermo shone through.

Enrica provided the most wonderful, delicious tour of Palermo. Her knowledge of the city’s history, culture, art, and food was endless, everything we ate was delectable. I’ve recommended this tour to everyone I’ve spoken to since this trip.

Amazing time in Palermo on this tour. Our guide was fantastic and explained so much. We had a very short time in Palermo but feel like we covered so much ground in history and food that it felt like a full visit. I had the opportunity to try foods I would NEVER order and liked them! Francesca suggested great foods but also let us know all the options.

Got to taste a variety of foods and the history of the various neighborhoods we visited. Was an effortless experience for a first day and still jet lagged. Highly recommend!

I booked this tour because I wanted not just a superficial street food tour but really a deeper dive into what Sicily in general and Palermo in particular has to offer when it comes to food and how it relates to its present culture and past history. Well, I really got what I was hoping for! You get to taste a huge variety of tastes, it would be tiresome to list them all here. What was definetely not tiring was the charming and joyful presentation of our local guide Francesca, who made this really a fun trip through the markets and into the different shops, while knowing all about places, both historically speaking but how it relates to everyday life. You might wonder why the pricetag for this experience is higher than for so many other food tours offered. Well, as indicated, it is NOT a superficial tour but really a deeper dive into the food and everyday life culture. Really strongly recommended!

Maria Louisa led our small group on an excellent introduction to the rich and varied Sicilian cuisine, integrating descriptions of the foods and dishes with history of Palermo and some of its sights. Beginning with a typical breakfast of delicious pastries, we visited markets, sampled many very good specialties and drinks, ending with gelato. Maria Louisa was friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. We were completely sated with gustatory pleasure.

Maria was brilliant and we had a very enjoyable time. Some of the dishes were not for us (though the rest of the group tucked in) but the tour gave us a real feel for the city and its food and markets. She also gave us some great restaurant recommendations!

The food tour was amazing! Maria Louisa was an excellent guide - she knows her city and she knows Palermo's food! Whether at a cafe, a market, or a kiosk along the way, she generously shared Palermo's food and cultural history. She adapted easily to different inquiries, food concerns, and engaged the entire group on any topic of interest.

Great tour! So much food and we covered a lot of the town as well. Really enjoyed learning some of the history as well as about the food of the city.

Excellent tour … good food and Paula provided enough history and information on Sicilian food traditions to make it very educational. Included places and foods that we would not found but are very happy that we did not miss as part of our Palermo experience.

We have done several Culinary Backstreets tours and the thing we love most is discovering the off-the-beaten-path places that we would never find on our own. On the Palermo tour, we enjoyed each of the stops and had plenty to eat. Highlights were the arancini shop, wandering through the Capo market, and finishing with delicious gelato. While the first stop was amazing, we would have preferred to start our day with something savory rather than the super-sweet (and delicious!) pastries.

Paola was an excellent guide. We particularly appreciated her focus on many of the traditional shops and food vendors in Palermo. She shared her insider's expertise about the city and its history. It was a pleasure to spend time with Paola.

Our culinary backstreets tour of Palermo with Maria as our guide was fun and informative. Maria was extremely knowledgeable about Palermo - not just the food (obviously), but also the history, architecture, and art, including street art, that we encountered. It was a great way to become acquainted with the city and what it has to offer. This was our second culinary backstreets tour (our first was in Mexico City earlier this year), and I recommend them highly.

A wonderful experience! Enrica was wonderful - warm, friendly and very knowledgeable! We got to experience some hidden gems which we would never have found on our own. Happy to highly recommended.