At the center of the square is the Fontana Pretoria; this fountain had originally been designed in 1554 by Francesco Camilliani for the Palace of San Clemente in Florence.

The Senate of Palermo, in 1573, seeking to embellish this city with a grandiose monument purchased the fountain, and transported here.

By 1581, the fountain had been installed in this square, sporting sixteen nude statues of nymphs, humans, mermaids and satyrs.

Since the 18th-century, due to the prolific nudity, some called this the Fontana della Vergogna (Fountain of Shame).

On the fourth side of the square a staircase, flanked by two lions made with gray marble from Bilimbi, sculpted by Domenico Costantino and installed in 1877, descends to Via Maqueda.