Via Maqueda

Via Maqueda
	Via Maqueda, facade of Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi.
	Interactive map of Via Maqueda
Former name	Strada Nuova
Length	1.5 km (0.93 mi)
Location	Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Coordinates	Quattro Canti: 38°06′57″N 13°21′41″E / 38.11583°N 13.36139°E / 38.11583; 13.36139

Street in Palermo

Via Maqueda (Italian pronunciation: [ˈviːa maˈkwɛːda]),^[1] also known as Strada Nuova ('New Street'), is an important street of Palermo, Sicily. Together with the Cassaro, it represents the main axis of the historic centre and provides access to a number of important sights, including Teatro Massimo and Fontana Pretoria. The street is named after the Viceroy of Sicily Bernardino de Cárdenas y Portugal, Duque de Maqueda.

History

In the late sixteenth century the opening of the street was decided. It was conceived as an axis destined to cross the most ancient road of Palermo, the millennial Cassaro. The creation of the street addressed the need of a more sliding traffic and the requests of the nobility, eager to have new spaces for its buildings.

The work was designed in 1577 and completed in 1599, during the period of the Viceroy Maqueda. On 24 July 1600 the street was inaugurated.^[2]

Structure

The street is perfectly straight from Piazza Verdi, near Teatro Massimo, to Porta di Vicari, near the Palermo Centrale railway station. With the Cassaro, Via Maqueda forms the famous Baroque intersection known as Quattro Canti (Piazza Vigliena). The two streets are also jointly called Croce Barocca ('Baroque Cross').

Transport

During daylight hours, the street is pedestrian in the stretch from Piazza Verdi to Quattro Canti.

Places of interest

Right side	Number	Number	Left side
Piazza Verdi
Teatro Massimo
			Palazzo Majorana di Leonvago
Palazzo Sartorio Grassellini			Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso
			Palazzo Scordia Mazzarino
			Palazzo Maurigi
			Palazzo Napoli
			Galleria delle Vittorie
Church of Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi			Palazzo Judica
Oratorio della Carità di San Pietro			Palazzo Di Maggio Gramignani
		217	Palazzo Costantino
Palazzo Starabba di Rudinì
Cassaro	Quattro Canti		Cassaro
Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini			Palazzo Bordonaro
Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini			Piazza Pretoria (Fontana Pretoria)
			Palazzo Pretorio
Casa dei Padri Teatini (Faculty of Jurisprudence)			Piazza Bellini (Church of San Cataldo and Martorana)
			Casa Martorana
			Church of San Nicola da Tolentino (Communal archive)
Palazzo Busacca
Palazzo Celesia	110
Church of Sant'Orsola
Palazzo Gravina di Comitini		93	Palazzo Balsamo
Palazzo Filangieri di Santa Flavia			Palazzo Sant'Elia
Palazzo Chiarandà
			Church of Maria Santissima Assunta delle Carmelitane Scalze
Palazzo Filangieri di Cutò
Porta di Vicari

References

^ Migliorini, Bruno; Tagliavini, Carlo; Fiorelli, Piero; Borri, Tommaso Francesco, eds. (2010) [1969]. "Maqueda". Dizionario d'Ortografia e di Pronunzia della lingua italiana (in Italian). Rome: Rai Eri. ISBN 978-88-397-1478-7.
^ Ricciardelli, Fabrizio (2008), I luoghi del sacro: il sacro e la città fra Medioevo ed età moderna: atti del convegno, Georgetown University, Center for the study of Italian history and culture, Fiesole, 12-13 giugno 2006. David Brown Book Company (2008). p. 233.

External links

Monumental itinerary of Via Maqueda - sicilytourist.com

[1] Migliorini, Bruno; Tagliavini, Carlo; Fiorelli, Piero; Borri, Tommaso Francesco, eds. (2010) [1969]. "Maqueda". Dizionario d'Ortografia e di Pronunzia della lingua italiana (in Italian). Rome: Rai Eri. ISBN 978-88-397-1478-7.

[2] Ricciardelli, Fabrizio (2008), I luoghi del sacro: il sacro e la città fra Medioevo ed età moderna: atti del convegno, Georgetown University, Center for the study of Italian history and culture, Fiesole, 12-13 giugno 2006. David Brown Book Company (2008). p. 233.