Quattro Canti (Four Corners Square), Palermo (must see)

Although it is commonly called Four Corners, the square’s formal name is Vigliena Square. It is named after the Spanish viceroy Juan Fernández Pacheco, Duke of Escalona, who governed Sicily at the time of its construction. Four Corners Square was laid out between 1608 and 1620 by order of the Spanish viceroys as part of Palermo’s urban renewal. The project was overseen by architects Giulio Lasso and Mariano Smiriglio, who conceived the ensemble as a carefully staged urban crossroads.

While usually described as a square, it was historically known as the “Octagon of the Sun”, since its plan is in fact eight-sided. This octagonal form is created by four streets intersecting at right angles and four concave Baroque facades closing off the corners. All four facades are uniform in height, deliberately symmetrical, and treated as a single architectural composition. Each one incorporates a fountain at ground level, above which a tiered sculptural program unfolds.

At the lowest level, the fountains are animated by allegorical figures of the Four Seasons, grounding the square in the rhythms of nature. Above them stand statues of the four Spanish kings of Sicily: Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV. The highest tier is reserved for Palermo’s four female patron saints: Saint Christina, Saint Ninfa, Saint Olivia, and Saint Agatha.

This sculptural hierarchy is also carefully oriented. On the south-facing facade, Spring, Charles V, and Saint Christina are aligned one above the other. Turning west, the facade presents Summer, Philip II, and Saint Ninfa. The north-facing facade carries Autumn, Philip III, and Saint Olivia, while the east-facing facade completes the cycle with Winter, Philip IV, and Saint Agatha.