But markets play a slightly different role in the South, where they are often the only source of dry goods and fancy foods in small, relatively secluded hill towns. These markets may not be as flashy and elite as their northern counterparts, but they are a focal point of town life. Everyone awaits the day, once or twice a month, when a small fleet of mini-vans and trucks pull into the town square. Small children help the vendors assemble their stands, hang crisply ironed linens from the overhead scaffolding, spread out inexpensive kitchen gadgets, espresso machines, pots and pans, cleaning products, portable radios and small appliances on the tables. Other stands are layered with every item of apparel known to man, mostly made of denim.
Handbags swing above rows of shoes and sandals.
The last item to appear is fresh coconut, sliced and displayed on a sort of multi-tiered fountain whose trickling streams keep the pulp juicy all through the frantic market day that follows. Nowhere will you have a better chance to get to know the natives. Look for colorfully decorated ceramic food molds. Next door is the Chiesa Madre, a 19th-century church built with volcanic rock from nearby Mount Etna.