Piazza Pretoria

Last updated
Piazza Pretoria
Sicilia Palermo1 tango7174.jpg
View of the square from Santa Caterina
Location Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Coordinates 38°06′56″N13°21′43″E / 38.11556°N 13.36194°E / 38.11556; 13.36194

Piazza Pretoria is at the limits of the district of Kalsa, near the corner of Cassaro with Via Manuela, just a few meters from the Quattro Canti, the intersection where all the four ancient quarters intersect, in the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

History

At the center of the square is the Fontana Pretoria; this fountain had originally been designed in 1554 by Francesco Camilliani for the Palace of San Clemente in Florence. The Senate of Palermo, in 1573, seeking to embellish this city with a grandiose monument purchased the fountain, and transported here.

The large fountain was meant for a large open space, and required several homes in this area to be demolished. The fountain was re-adapted to the site with the addition of new parts. By 1581, the fountain had been installed in this square, sporting sixteen nude statues of nymphs, humans, mermaids and satyrs. The fountain has not always been admired. Since the 18th-century, due to the prolific nudity, some called this the Fontana della Vergogna (Fountain of Shame).

Description

Three of the four sides are enclosed by buildings: the Praetorian Palace (the town hall) built in fourteenth century and renovated in nineteenth century; the Church of St. Catherine (end of sixteenth century); and two baronial palaces, Palazzo Bonocore and Palazzo Bordonaro. On the fourth side of the square a staircase, flanked by two lions made with gray marble from Bilimbi, sculpted by Domenico Costantino and installed in 1877, descends to Via Maqueda.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fontana del Tritone, Rome</span> Fountain in Rome

Fontana del Tritone is a seventeenth-century fountain in Rome, by the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Commissioned by his patron, Pope Urban VIII, the fountain is located in the Piazza Barberini, near the entrance to the Palazzo Barberini that Bernini helped to design and construct for the Barberini, Urban's family. This fountain should be distinguished from the nearby Fontana dei Tritoni by Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri in Piazza Bocca della Verità which features two Tritons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza Navona</span> Public square in Rome, Italy

Piazza Navona is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval. The ancient Romans went there to watch the agones ("games"), and hence it was known as "Circus Agonalis". It is believed that over time the name changed to in avone to navone and eventually to navona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi</span> Fountain designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is a fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy. It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza del Popolo</span> Urban square in Rome

Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.

Quattro Canti, officially known as Piazza Vigliena, is a Baroque square in Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy; it is considered the center of the historic quarters of the city. The site is the intersection of two major streets in Palermo, the Via Maqueda and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and at this intersection are the corners of all four of the ancient quarters of Palermo: the Kalsa (SE); Seralcadi (SW); Albergaria (wW); and Castellammare (NE). On the southwest corner stands the church of San Giuseppe dei Padre Teatini. A few steps away along the flank of this church, behind the Southeast corner building, along Via Maqueda is the Piazza and Fontana Pretoria, sandwiched between this church and Santa Caterina. A few more steps reaches San Cataldo and the ancient Norman church of La Martorana. About 500 meters west along the Cassaro is the piazza of the Cathedral of Palermo and the adjacent Palazzo Normani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chigi Palace</span> Official residence of the Prime Minister of Italy

The Chigi Palace is a palace and former noble residence in Rome which is the seat of the Council of Ministers and the official residence of the Prime Minister of Italy. Since 22 October 2022, the tenant of the Chigi Palace has been Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, although she does not live in the building. It is located in the Piazza Colonna, next to Palazzo Montecitorio, seat of the Chamber of Deputies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza Barberini</span>

Piazza Barberini is a large piazza in the centro storico or city center of Rome, Italy and situated on the Quirinal Hill. It was created in the 16th century but many of the surrounding buildings have subsequently been rebuilt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza De Ferrari</span> Square in Genova, Italy

Piazza De Ferrari is the main square of Genoa. Situated in the heart of the city between the historical and the modern center, Piazza De Ferrari is renowned for its fountain, which was restored in recent years along with a major restyling of the square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo degli Elefanti</span> Historic building in Catania, Italy

Palazzo degli Elefanti is a historical building in Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy. It currently houses the city's Town Hall. In the past, the prior building was also known as the Palazzo Senatorio or Loggia Senatoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza Mercanti</span> Square in Milan, Italy

Piazza Mercanti is a central city square of Milan, Italy. It is located between Piazza del Duomo, which marks the centre of the modern city of Milan, and Piazza Cordusio, and it used to be the heart of the city in the Middle Ages. At the time, the square was larger than it is now and known as "Piazza del Broletto", after the "Broletto Nuovo", the palace that occupied the centre of the square. In the 13th century, there were six entry points to the square, each associated to a specific trade, from sword blacksmiths to hat makers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza d'Aracoeli</span> Square in Rome, Italy

Piazza d'Aracoeli is a square of Rome (Italy), placed at the base of the Capitoline Hill, in the Rione X Campitelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni</span> Building in Rome, Italy

The Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni is a reconstructed late Renaissance palace in Rome. Erected by the will of Cardinal Girolamo Rusticucci, it was designed by Domenico Fontana and Carlo Maderno joining together several buildings already existing. Due to that, the building was not considered a good example of architecture. Originally lying along the north side of the Borgo Nuovo street, after 1667 the building faced the north side of the large new square located west of the new Saint Peter's Square, designed in those years by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The square, named Piazza Rusticucci after the palace, was demolished in 1937–40 because of the erection of the new Via della Conciliazione. In 1940 the palace was dismantled and rebuilt with a different footprint along the north side of the new avenue, constructed between 1936 and 1950, which links St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican City to the center of Rome.

<i>Fontana Pretoria</i>

The Praetorian Fountain is a monumental fountain located in Piazza Pretoria in the historic center of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. The fountain dominates the piazza on the west flank of the church of Santa Caterina, and is one block south of the intersection of the Quattro Canti. The fountain was originally built in 1544 in Florence by Francesco Camilliani, but was sold, transferred, and reassembled in Palermo in 1574.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Pretorio, Palermo</span>

The Praetorian Palace, also known as Palace of the Eagles, is a palace of Palermo. The building has an important role in the political life of the city, since it houses the mayor and the offices of the municipality of Palermo. It is located in the heart of the historic centre, between Via Maqueda, Piazza Pretoria and Piazza Bellini, in the same area of other well-known architectural landmarks like the Fontana Pretoria, the Baroque church of Santa Caterina and the Medieval churches of Martorana and San Cataldo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Palermo</span> Overview of and topical guide to Palermo

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Palermo:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borgo Nuovo (Rome)</span> Former road in Rome

Borgo Nuovo, originally known as via Alessandrina, also named via Recta or via Pontificum, was a road in the city of Rome, Italy, important for historical and architectural reasons. Built by Pope Alexander VI Borgia for the holy year of 1500, the road became one of the main centers of the high Renaissance in Rome. Borgo Nuovo was demolished together with the surrounding quarter in 1936–37 due to the construction of Via della Conciliazione.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borgo Vecchio (Rome)</span> Former road in Rome

Borgo Vecchio, also named in the Middle Ages Via Sancta, Carriera Sancta or Carriera Martyrum, was a road in the city of Rome, Italy, important for historical and architectural reasons. The road was destroyed together with the adjacent quartier in 1936–37 due to the construction of Via della Conciliazione.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piazza Scossacavalli</span> Former square in Rome

Piazza Scossacavalli, also named Piazza di San Clemente, Piazza di Trento, Piazza d'Aragona, Piazza Salviati, was a square in Rome, Italy, important for historical and architectonic reasons. The square was demolished together with the surrounding quarter in 1937 due to the construction of Via della Conciliazione.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain of the Genius of Fieravecchia</span>

The Fountain of the Genius of Fieravecchia is a historic fountain located in Piazza Rivoluzione in the ancient quarter of Kalsa in the historic center of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.