Description of the attraction
Piazza Pretoria, located to the east of Piazza Villena, is one of the main squares of Palermo, built in a sumptuous Sicilian Baroque style. Its main attraction is undoubtedly the monumental Mannerist fountain, built in the mid-16th century by the Florentine sculptor Francesco Camigliani. Initially, the fountain decorated the Palazzo di San Clemente - the Tuscan residence of Pedro Toledo, Viceroy of Naples and Sicily, and after his death was sold by the heirs to the municipality of Palermo. In 1574, the fountain was disassembled into 644 parts and transported to Sicily, where it was assembled under the personal supervision of the son of Francesco Camigliani - Camillo. For its installation in Piazza Pretoria, several residential buildings were demolished, and several new elements were added to the fountain itself to fit into the architectural ensemble of the square. A composition of several pools of different sizes with statues of naked mythological heroes, animals and monsters, the fountain immediately caused a wave of anger among the devout inhabitants of Palermo. Because of this, the people called the square Piazza di Vergona - Piazza Shada. Nevertheless, today the fountain is a popular tourist attraction, which attracts thousands of visitors to the city.
Other significant buildings in Piazza Pretoria are the Baroque Church of Santa Catarina from the late 16th century, Palazzo Bonocore, Palazzo Bordonaro and Palazzo Pretorio, after which the square is named. The palace was built in the 14th century, and in the 17th century it was rebuilt in the baroque style prevailing then everywhere. Once it was the seat of the Senate of Palermo, where the second name of the palace came from - Palazzo Senatorio. And since the 19th century, the city mayor's office has been located here. A staircase on one side of the square leads to Via Makeda.
