Fontana del Genio a Villa Giulia, Marble fountain in Villa Giulia gardens, Palermo, Italy

The Fontana del Genio a Villa Giulia stands at the end of the avenue leading from Villa Giulia's sea-side entrance, near the Orto Botanico. Its circular basin is cut from Billiemi stone; from a rock at the centre rises Ignazio Marabitti's 2.56-metre Carrara marble Genius of Palermo, armoured and sceptred, with an eagle, a dog, a fasces and a cornucopia around it.

The fountain was created in 1778 by sculptor Ignazio Marabitti during a period when Palermo was transforming its public spaces. This work emerged from an era when the city was renewing and expanding its classical monuments.

The statue depicts the Genius of Palermo, the city's guardian spirit, wearing Roman armour and feeding a snake from his breast. Beside him are an eagle, the city's emblem, a dog for fidelity, and a fascio littorio; a plaque reads "Prima Sedes, Corona Regis et Regni Caput". Since 2015 the Palermo Calcio Popolare football club has used the Genius as its logo.

The fountain stands at the end of the avenue reached from Villa Giulia's sea-side entrance, near the Orto Botanico. The park is open daily; the fountain is reached on foot along that avenue. The marble Genius faces the path, so it is seen frontally as you approach.

The Genius holds a cornucopia and a shield with the Trinacria, and a plaque reads "Prima Sedes, Corona Regis et Regni Caput", naming Palermo capital of the kingdom. A second plaque carries a Latin couplet by the Palermo poet Giuseppe Delfino. Since 2015 the statue has served as the emblem of Palermo Calcio Popolare, a fan-owned amateur football club.