{"id":67921,"date":"2015-09-20T23:43:20","date_gmt":"2015-09-20T22:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=67921"},"modified":"2026-10-12T21:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T20:53:19","slug":"piazza-marina-in-palermo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/piazza-marina-in-palermo","title":{"rendered":"Piazza Marina in Palermo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Piazza Marina<\/strong> is a square in the historic centre of Palermo located in the Kalsa<\/strong> district, on the western edge of the ancient Islamic port district of the Kalsa, between the historic seafront and the city’s medieval aristocratic fabric.
In the centre of the square is the small public garden of the Villa Garibaldi<\/strong><\/a> designed by the architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile in 1863. <\/p>\n

Historical overview<\/h2>\n

Until the Middle Ages, the square was a marsh connected to the port of Cala, part of a coastal lagoon used as a natural basin.
In the 14th century, under Angevin rule, land reclamation works were carried out, allowing a gradual urbanisation of the area.
Between the 15th and the end of the 18th century, the square was the main site of public executions in the city, notably by the Holy Inquisition, where heretics held in the nearby Steri prison were condemned to be burned at the stake. The Tribunal of the Holy Office was abolished in 1782 in Sicily.<\/p>\n

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Buildings on the Piazza Marina<\/h2>\n

Around the charming Piazza Marina and the Garibaldi Garden<\/strong><\/a>, which preserves a remarkable Ficus macrophylla planted around 1845 – one of the oldest and most imposing specimens of its kind in Europe – stand beautiful Palermitan buildings:<\/p>\n

\"Garraffo<\/a>

Garraffo Fountain<\/p><\/div>\n