Genio del Garraffo
Genio del Garraffo stands in Palermo as a fifteenth-century sculpture by Lombard artist Pietro de Bonitate. Created in 1483, it presents the Genio di Palermo, a mythological protector and civic symbol. The figure now occupies a small shrine, or edicule, whose upper plaque still shows 1663 in Roman numerals.
Residents commissioned the original fountain to beautify their neighbourhood, placing this figure at its centre. In 1698, the Fontana del Garraffo replaced that fountain, then moved to Piazza Marina in 1882. Paolo Amato designed the edicule in 1663, and restoration work renewed the whole ensemble in 2013. The statue is one of seven sculptural versions, alongside two paintings and a mosaic above the Palatine Chapel entrance.
The shrine once held two smaller side figures, but vandalism and theft in the 1980s left the central figure alone. Look for the mature man, sometimes shown with a serpent, embodying Palermo’s identity, resilience, and independence.
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Image: Sculpture by Pietro de Bonitate, 1483. Photo reproduction by Fabrice de NolaCC BY-SA 3.0 
Image: Pietro De Bonitate, 1483 (sculpture), Paolo Amato, 1663 (aedicula). (photographic documentation: Palazzo Isnello)CC BY-SA 2.0 
Image: MariaantoniettaspadaroCC BY-SA 4.0 
Image: Vincenzo Palizzolo GravinaPublic domain
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myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.