 |
 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 Coordinates: 38°06′56″N13°21′43″E / 38.11556°N 13.36194°E |
Piazza Pretoria is at the limits of the district of Kalsa, near the corner of Cassaro with Via Maqueda, 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.
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 home 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).
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 Billiemi, sculpted by Domenico Costantino and installed in 1877, descends to Via Maqueda.
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.
Piazza Navona is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Piazza d'Aracoeli is a square of Rome (Italy), placed at the base of the Capitoline Hill, in the Rione X Campitelli.
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.
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.
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.
The Cassaro is the most ancient street of Palermo. From the late 16th century the street also had the name Via Toledo. Following the unification of Italy, it was officially renamed Via Vittorio Emanuele II, but the old and distinctive name is still in use. The street is rooted in the age of the foundation of Palermo by the Phoenicians. It provides access to a number of important sights, including the Royal Palace and the Cathedral, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Via Maqueda, also known as "Strada Nuova", is an important street of Palermo. Together with the Cassaro, it represents the main axis of the historic centre and provides access to a number of important sights, including Teatro Massimo and Fontana Pretoria. The street is named after the Viceroy of Sicily Bernardino de Cárdenas y Portugal, Duque de Maqueda.
Piazza Bellini is a square of Palermo. It is located in the heart of the city, near the central Via Maqueda and Piazza Pretoria, in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Palermo:
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.
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.
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.