Piazza Pretoria, Central square in Palermo, Italy
Piazza Pretoria is a central square in Palermo featuring a large multi-tiered marble fountain with white stone. The fountain displays numerous sculptures of mythological beings and water symbols that represent the city's rivers.
The Senate of Palermo bought this fountain from Florence in 1573 and demolished buildings to install it in 1581. Moving it from a private villa garden to a public square transformed its meaning and role entirely.
Local residents found the naked statues of the fountain shocking and gave it the nickname 'Fountain of Shame' because of their nudity. This strong reaction reveals how important modesty was to people at that time.
The square sits where Via Maqueda and Cassaro streets meet, with two marble lions marking the stairs down to street level. Being in the center of the city makes it easy to reach from any direction.
This fountain was originally designed for a private villa garden in Florence and had to be completely taken apart and shipped across the Mediterranean Sea to reach Palermo. Such an ambitious journey across hundreds of kilometers reveals the effort the city invested to gain this artwork.
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