Piazza San Domenico

Welcome to Piazza San Domenico, one of Palermo’s most emblematic squares, opening right onto Via Roma, one of the city’s main streets. The square took shape in the 18th century, during the period of Austrian rule, when it was known as the “Imperial Square.”

At its center rises the Colonna dell’Immacolata, a tall baroque column dedicated to the Virgin Mary, added in the 1720s. The name of the square, of course, comes from the impressive Church of San Domenico that dominates it. The Dominicans first settled here around 1280, building a modest church that was later replaced by a larger one in the 15th century. In the 1630s, the church was rebuilt once again in the baroque style you can admire today, to meet the needs of a growing community.

San Domenico has been a stage for history more than once: in 1848, it hosted the revolutionary parliament that rose against the Spanish Bourbons, the royal dynasty that ruled Sicily at the time. A few years later, in 1853, the church was declared the Pantheon of illustrious Sicilians, and since then many great figures of politics, culture, and society have been laid to rest here. Today, Piazza San Domenico remains a lively meeting place, with cafés, shops, and the majestic silhouette of the church watching over the square.