This place is known as the Crossroads of Spirits, the Theater of the Sun, and occasionally by its official name, Piazza Vigliena. Most of the time, though, everyone simply calls it Quattro Canti — one of the main meeting points in Palermo.
Let’s start with the official name. Villena was the title of the Spanish Viceroy of Sicily who decided to build Via Maqueda, cutting across the city’s main street, Cassaro (now Corso Vittorio Emanuele), and to create a square at their intersection. In other words, he was the visionary behind Quattro Canti.
On the four buildings surrounding the square, you can see the four seasons, four Spanish kings, and the four patron saints of Palermo, who, after Saint Rosalia became the city’s patron saint, became the patronesses of Palermo’s four historic districts. The square was designed so that at least one of its corners is always lit by the sun, which is why it is also known as the Theater of the Sun.
All official processions pass through this square, and during major celebrations the buildings become a canvas for spectacular light shows. In the past, people used to say: “Feste e forche a Piazza Vigliena” — “Festivals and gallows in Piazza Vigliena.” As was often the case with central squares, alongside festive parades there was also an execution scaffold. This is where the legend of the Crossroads of Spirits comes from: the souls of those executed here are said to wander through their old neighborhoods at night.
One of these spirits is the famous Old Woman with Vinegar. She was executed here at the end of the 18th century. During her lifetime, she was well known throughout Palermo, especially among women who wanted to get rid of their husbands. She sold them “magic vinegar” that was laced with arsenic. Legend has it that, even today, just before dawn, her ghost can sometimes be seen dressed in dark clothes, carrying a bottle of her magic vinegar.