Fontana Pretoria

The Pretoria Fountain, in Palermo

The Pretoria Fountain is a monumental Renaissance fountain that sits on the Piazza Pretoria, in the heart of Palermo. The Palermo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this masterpiece adorned with statues, long nicknamed the fountain of shame by the Palermitans.

The fountain of shame

You are here in the very heart of the historic centre of Palermo, on the Piazza Pretoria. It is not so much for the palaces and the churches that surround it that this square is known, but for the monumental fountain that sits in its centre. This sumptuous Renaissance fountain was sculpted in the sixteenth century by Florentine artists, and originally intended for a garden of Florence, before being bought and transferred to Palermo. This grandiose ensemble deploys, on several levels of concentric basins surrounded by balustrades and staircases, a multitude of marble statues representing divinities, nymphs, allegories, monsters and animals. The nudity of these numerous statues shocked the modesty of the Palermitans and the nuns of the neighbouring convents, which earned the fountain its nickname remained famous: the fountain of shame, the Fontana della Vergogna. Beyond the anecdote, it is a masterpiece of mannerist sculpture, one of the finest ornaments of the town. A Renaissance masterpiece and a symbol of Palermo, the Pretoria Fountain is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

You admire the monumental Renaissance fountain that sits on the Piazza Pretoria, sculpted in the sixteenth century by Florentine artists and transferred to Palermo, deploying on several levels of basins a multitude of marble statues of divinities, nymphs and allegories, whose nudity earned the ensemble the nickname of fountain of shame. The Pretoria Fountain is a masterpiece of Palermo. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Pretoria Fountain lies on the Piazza Pretoria, in the heart of the historic centre of Palermo, near the Quattro Canti, reachable on foot. It is an open-air monument, freely accessible and admirable from the square. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why is the Pretoria Fountain nicknamed the fountain of shame?

Because the nudity of its numerous marble statues, representing divinities, nymphs and allegories, shocked the modesty of the Palermitans and the nuns of the neighbouring convents; this monumental Renaissance fountain, sculpted in the sixteenth century by Florentine artists and transferred to Palermo, is a masterpiece of mannerist sculpture.

Where is the Pretoria Fountain in Palermo?

On the Piazza Pretoria, in the heart of the historic centre of Palermo, in Italy.