Hotels near Quattro Canti & Piazza Pretoria

The Quattro Canti is the Baroque crossroads at the heart of old Palermo, where the two main streets meet in an octagonal junction framed by four near-identical curved façades. Each of the four corners is decorated with fountains, statues of Spanish kings, and figures of the city's patron saints, stacked in tiers.

A few steps south lies Piazza Pretoria, dominated by the Fontana Pretoria, a giant 16th-century marble fountain crowded with nude mythological figures that so scandalised locals it earned the nickname the Fountain of Shame. Together the two squares are the ceremonial centre of the city.

Pro Tip: Both are free and always open. Come mid-morning when the sun lights up one pair of the Quattro Canti façades, then loop to Piazza Pretoria before the tour crowds arrive.