History
This small scale urban plan was laid out on the orders of the Spanish Viceroys between 1608 and 1620 [1] by Giulio Lasso and Mariano Smiriglio.
The piazza layout is octagonal, four sides comprise the streets, while the remaining four sides are nearly symmetric, concave Baroque facades, each with four stories with three full size statues in their centers. The street level up to second story feature four fountains, each dedicated to one the four seasons. The third stories have statues in niches of four Spanish rulers of Sicily; above them in roofline are their respective coat of arms. The fourth and top stories of the buildings have statues of four female patron saints of Palermo: Christina, Ninfa, Olivia and Agata).
The fountains were completed in 1630: Spring and Summer by Gregorio Tedeschi, while Autumn and Winter were sculpted by Nunzio La Mattina. The Spanish kings were sculpted between 1661 and 1663 by Carlo Aprile. At the time the piazza was built, it was an early examples of town planning in Europe.
It is a key location in the Wim Wenders film 'Palermo Shooting.'
Palermo is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is in the northwest of the island of Sicily, by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
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.
The province of Palermo was a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Palermo. On 4 August 2015, it was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Palermo.
Sicilian Baroque is the distinctive form of Baroque architecture which evolved on the island of Sicily, off the southern coast of Italy, in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it was part of the Spanish Empire. The style is recognisable not only by its typical Baroque curves and flourishes, but also by distinctive grinning masks and putti and a particular flamboyance that has given Sicily a unique architectural identity.
Giovanni Battista Vaccarini was a Sicilian architect, notable for his work in the Sicilian Baroque style in his homeland during the period of massive rebuilding following the earthquake of 1693. Many of his principal works can be found in the area in and around Catania.
Giulio Lassi, also known as Lasso and Scalzo was an Italian sculptor and architect, best known for his work in Palermo, Sicily. He was born, presumably in Rome, from Giovanni Domenico Lassi, a carpenter, and Camilla de Roberti; after the death of Giovanni Domenico, his mother married Giovanni di Lorenzo, called "the Moretto", also a carpenter, on April 25, 1569.
San Giuseppe dei Teatini is a Roman Catholic church on via Vittorio Emanuele, at the southwest corner of the Quattro Canti, in the historic center of the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. The east flank of the nave faces the Fontana Pretoria, across the piazza from Santa Caterina. San Giuseppe is an example of the Sicilian Baroque in Palermo.
Kalsa or Mandamento Tribunali is a historical quarter of the Italian city of Palermo in Sicily. It is sometimes referred to as la Kalsa or the Kalsa.
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.
Santa Caterina d'Alessandria or Saint Catherine of Alexandria is a Roman Catholic church with a main facade on Piazza Bellini, and a lateral Western facade facing the elaborate Fontana Pretoria, in the historic quarter of Kalsa in the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. In front of the main facade, across the piazza Bellini, rise the older churches of San Cataldo and Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, while across Piazza Pretoria is the Theatine church of San Giuseppe and the entrance to the Quattro Canti. Refurbished over the centuries, the church retains elements and decorations from the Renaissance, Baroque, and late-Baroque (Rococo) eras. This church is distinct from the Oratorio di Santa Caterina found in the Olivella neighborhood.
The Church of Saint Nympha is a Baroque-Mannerist church of Palermo. The facade rises on Via Maqueda, a block north of the central intersection known as the Quattro Canti, in the quarter of Seralcadi, within the historic centre of Palermo. The church belongs to the Camillians.
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.
Porta Felice is a monumental city gate of Palermo, Sicily; the gate is located in the zone of the Foro Italico and the Castellammare quarter. It represents the water-side entrance into what was formerly known as Via Cassaro, the most ancient main street of the city, but renamed Via Vittorio Emanuele after Italian unification. The gate was built in Renaissance and Baroque styles between the 16th and 17th centuries.
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.
The Church of Saint Matthew is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. It is located in the main street of the city, the ancient Cassaro now Corso Vittorio Emanuele, in the quarter of the Loggia, about a block east of the Quattro Canti, within the historic centre of Palermo.
The Garraffo Fountain is a Baroque fountain of Palermo. It is located in Piazza Marina, down the ancient Cassaro street, now called Via Vittorio Emanuele, within the historic centre of Palermo.
Mariano Smiriglio (1561–1636) was a Sicilian architect, painter and decorator, active in a Mannerist-Sicilian Baroque style in his native Palermo.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Palermo:
Madonna dei Rimedi is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic Sanctuary-church, established and still affiliated with the Discalced Carmelite order, located on Piazza Indipendenza # 9, in Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.
