Piazza Pretoria, situated just East of Piazza Vigliena, is one of the main squares of Palermo, the luxury Sicilian Baroque. Its main attraction is undoubtedly the monumental Mannerist fountain, built in the mid 16th century Florentine sculptor Francesco Camilliani. Originally the fountain was decorated with the Palazzo di San Clemente - Tuscan residence Pedro of Toledo, Viceroy of Naples and Sicily, and after his death was sold by his heirs to the municipality of Palermo. In 1574, the fountain was dismantled at 644 pieces and transported to Sicily, where he collected under the personal supervision of the son of Francesco Camilliani – Camillo. To install it on Piazza Pretoria, were demolished several houses, and to the fountain added a few new elements so that it fits in the architectural ensemble of the square. Representing a composition of several pools of different sizes with statues of naked mythological characters, animals and monsters fountain immediately sparked a wave of anger among the devout population of Palermo. Because of this, people in the square called Piazza di Vergogna – Square of Shame. However, today the fountain is a popular tourist site, look at which thousands of visitors come to the city.

Other significant buildings of the Piazza Pretoria – the Baroque Church of Santa Catarina the end of the 16th century, the Palazzo Bonocore, Palazzo Bordonaro and the Palazzo Pretorio, on behalf of which the square was named. The Palace was built in the 14th century and rebuilt in the 17th century in the then dominant throughout the Baroque style. Once it was the seat of the Senate of Palermo, where did the second name of the Palace – Palazzo Senatorio. And since the 19th century, here is the city hall. Stairs on one side of the square leads to the street via Maqueda.