Palermo, a city of a thousand colors, a thousand flavors, a thousand noble palaces, a thousand churches, and a thousand monuments; multicultural, a safe haven for foreigners of any race, any origin, any faith. In short, an open-air marketplace where not only material goods but also ideas, customs, and habits are exchanged—in essence, everything that defines culture.

From the broader concept of a marketplace to the actual, physical markets, the connection is short. We might even say that the Greek Agora was, in a way, also a market in its widest sense, as people gathered to discuss politics, art, culture, and, of course, business. This is much like what happens today in markets around the world.