Piazza Bellini
The Piazza Bellini is a place in Palermo . It is located south of Piazza Pretoria on Via Maqueda opposite the University (Facoltà di Giurisprudenza).
description
Piazza Bellini is shaped like a large "L". The long leg starts from Via Maqueda and runs between the back of the Palazzo Pretorio and the two adjacent churches of San Cataldo and La Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio). From the end of the long leg, the short leg runs north to the facade of Santa Caterina and Piazza Pretoria. To the east, the Discesa dei Giudici leads to Via Roma .
history
The original name of the square was Piano della Corte (level of the court) , as the Palazzo Pretorio or Senatorio (former court house, now town hall) had its main entrance on this side. Access to the buildings, which were on different levels, was guaranteed via various stairs. The change began in 1805 with the transformation of the former Theatine monastery into a university and with the conversion of the southern facade of the town hall and the buildings on the east side (Palazzo Valguarnera and Teatro Carolino). The theater was founded in 1726 by the Marchese Valguarnera di S. Lucia. When it was opened in 1741–1742, the wooden structure held 500 spectators. In 1808 it was rebuilt in masonry by Nicolò Puglia, and in 1840 the facade was renovated. The Regio Teatro Carolino was initially the most important theater in the city in the 19th century. Gaetano Donizetti worked there from 1825 to 26 , performing operas by Mozart , Rossini and Bellini. During the Revolution of 1848 it was named after Vincenzo Bellini , and it was finally named in 1860 after the success of the Garibaldians. After the theater, which was converted into a cinema after the Second World War, but has not been in operation since a fire in 1964, the square was given its current name.
Extensive leveling of the terrain was necessary when creating the square. As a result, the churches of San Cataldo and La Martorana now stand on a raised terrace (remains of the Roman-Punic city walls), which is only accessible via a staircase.
literature
- Giuseppe Bellafiore: Palermo. Guida della città e dei dintorni. 5th edition. Punto grafica, Palermo 2002, p. 19.
- Brigit Carnabuci: Sicily. Greek temples, Roman villas, Norman cathedrals and baroque cities in the center of the Mediterranean (= DuMont art travel guide ). 6th, updated edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2011, ISBN 978-3-7701-4385-6 .
- Adriana Chirco: Guida di Palermo. Visita guidata della città e dei dintorni per itinerari storici. D. Flaccovio, Palermo 1997, ISBN 88-7758-313-4 , pp. 10, 18, 61.
- Cesare De Seta, Maria Antonietta Spadaro, Sergio Troisi, Palermo città d'arte. Guida ai monumenti di Palermo e Monreale. Edizioni Ariete, Palermo 1998, p. 316, no. 456.
Web links
Coordinates: 38 ° 6 ′ 54.1 ″ N , 13 ° 21 ′ 45.1 ″ E