Mercati Generali was opened in the 20th of June 1998 in Contrada Jungetto, in the south of Catania. Today Mercati Generali’ s winter activities take place in three rooms inside a mill built towards the end of the 800’ s for wine production and conservation. A courtyard has been recovered near the building and a summer programme, from May until October, is carried out in it. Mercati Generali’ s programming is mostly oriented towards the promotion of musical plans’ s and artistic independent realities it’ s known and appreciated in the artistic field both in Italy and abroad. During the 2000 year Mercati Generali was a partner in the project, directed by Otello Urso; it was the first project in the south of Italia to be supported and funded by the European Culture 2000 project. Important partnerships and cooperation between many principal actors of the European musical production and promotions have made possible unforgetable performances by many artists at the Mercati, some of which are: Murray Lachlan Young, Marc Ribot and Los Cubanos Postizos, to Rococo Rot, Manu Chao and Roy Paci, Ursula Rucker, Frederic Galliano and African Divas, Enon, Mike Patton and Rahzel, Marcos Valle, Uri Caine, Cat Power, Bill Evans, David Grubbs, Jamie Lidell, , Antony and the Johnsons, Cocorosie, Uzeda, Studio Davoli, the installation of Sfuggita family and Ultrapop, the performance of Sarah Fazzino and Moto Mimetico, Masaki Iwana and Valeria Geremia , and the extraordinary participation of Hidetochi Nagasawa tanks to the contribute of Fiumara d’arte. Mercati Generali has taken its name from a massive building project, the New Catania Agroidustrial market, which unfortunately foresees a further cementing of the prevailing green area of Contrada Jungetto.