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Photo: Tango7174, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
In 1573 the Senate of Palermo bought a fountain intended for the Palace of San Clemente in Florence, with the intention of placing it in the square. The large central fountain is the focal point for 16 nude statues of nymphs, humans, mermaids and satyrs. In 1860, the fountain was considered the representation of corrupt municipalities, and Palermo nicknamed the square with the nudity of the statues, the Square of Shame (Piazza della vergogna). This may have also been reflecting the prevailing influence of the Spanish Inquisition during that time.
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.
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The Gesu Church is one of the most architecturally important in Palermo. Constructed between 1564–1633, its late date of completion resulted in an abundant use of polychrome marbles on both floors and walls. This form of decoration, which gradually evolved in Sicily from the beginning of the 17th century, was a mark of the beginning of the Sicilian Baroque period, which was to give Sicily almost an architectural national identity. The church has a modest facade and it's hidden in back street in central Palermo, unlike the great cathedral this one you have to look for.
Honey-coloured and Catalan influenced. Frederick II, Barbarossa's grandson, died in 1250 and is buried here, far from his ancestral home above Hohenstaufen, Germany. Frederick's sarcophagus is of porphyry dyed with imperial purple.
Beautiful private museum of historical tiles produced both locally and in Naples. Guided tours available in English or Italian will take you through the techniques and historical considerations of tile making and its importance across Italy.
Cappella Palatina
It's one of the artistic gems of Palermo: a chapel with magnificent mosaics and Arabian-style decorations, among the most beautiful in the world. It is inside of Palazzo dei Normanni.
Palace of the Normans
The oldest royal residence in Europe, the home of the rulers of the Kingdom of Sicily and imperial seat of the Emperor Frederick II. The palace contains the Cappella Palatina, the best example of the Arab-Norman style of Sicily. Nowadays it is the seat of the Sicilian Parliament.