Trattoria U Curtigghiu

Trattoria U Curtigghiu is a tiny family trattoria hidden in a narrow lane near the Vucciria, the historic and famously raffish market quarter of Palermo. The name, in Sicilian dialect, conjures the gossip and chatter of a neighbourhood courtyard, and the place lives up to it: a handful of tables and an unfussy interior serving the kind of Palermitan home cooking that has been disappearing from the city's more tourist-facing restaurants. The kitchen turns out the dishes of the everyday Palermo table — polpo bollito, simply boiled octopus dressed with oil and lemon; pasta con le sarde; and pasta 'ncasciata, the rich baked pasta with ragù, aubergine and cheese that is a Sunday-lunch classic across Sicily. Portions are honest, prices are among the lowest in the city, and the cooking tastes of the home rather than the menu. The atmosphere is warm, busy and thoroughly local, an authentic slice of life in one of Palermo's most atmospheric districts. The trattoria serves lunch only on most days, in keeping with the rhythm of the market it sits beside, so visitors should plan a midday meal rather than dinner. No-frills and small, it rewards arriving around the start of the lunch service to secure a table, as it fills with regulars. The Vucciria, with its market stalls by day and bohemian bars by night, is one of the great sights of old Palermo, within walking distance of the cathedral and the main monuments, so a lunch here pairs naturally with exploring the quarter. For travellers seeking genuinely local, inexpensive Palermitan cooking near the Vucciria, U Curtigghiu is a small treasure.