Fontana Pretoria, Palermo, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Fontana Pretoria is a monumental 16th-century fountain in Piazza Pretoria, Palermo, in front of the city hall. Made of marble tiers crowded with nude figures, mythological characters and animals, it is better known locally as the Fountain of Shame. It is one of the most striking sights in the historic centre, a few steps from the Quattro Canti.

The story behind it

The fountain was designed in the mid-1500s in Tuscany, by the Florentine sculptor Francesco Camilliani, and was not made for Palermo at all. It was commissioned for a private Florentine villa. Years later the Palermo senate bought it, and it travelled in pieces across Italy and by sea to Sicily. It was reassembled in the square in front of the Palazzo Pretorio, the seat of the city administration. The price was high at a time when many in the city were struggling, and that is one explanation for its nickname: a costly show of public money.

Other stories offer different origins for the name. The best known says the nuns of the neighbouring convent were scandalised by all the bare marble and had to avert their eyes when they passed. A local tale adds that some of the statues were damaged by outraged hands. Treat these as tales told in the square rather than documented history, but they explain why the fountain still has a cheeky reputation today.

What to look for

• Walk the full circle of the basin and notice how the concentric tiers are linked by small ramps and stairs, so the whole piece feels like a stage.
• Look closely at the many marble figures around the rim, which mix gods, nymphs, tritons and animals in a very Renaissance show of mythology.
• Find the river deities, which are traditionally linked to the waterways of Palermo.
• Raise your eyes to the facade of the Palazzo Pretorio behind the fountain, still used for the city administration, and to the church of Santa Caterina on the same square.

Tips for your visit

• Seeing the fountain from the square is free, and you can only admire it from around the basin. Barriers sometimes limit how close you can get, so check current conditions.
• Give it 15 to 20 minutes, longer if you want to look at the details of the statues.
• Early morning is quietest for photos, while evening light on the marble is soft and the square is livelier.
• The Quattro Canti crossroads and the Martorana church are a short walk away, so it fits easily into a wider stroll of the old centre.

See it on a quest

Palermo Undercover: Mafia Secrets brings you to the square on foot as one stop of a longer route through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you see. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Haunted Palermo: The Vengeful Ghosts Of The Past suits you if you prefer the darker side of the city's history. You walk from place to place, hear the stories as you reach each spot and solve a puzzle on the spot, with no guide and no group to join. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.