He’s the Genius of Palermo.
For those who’ve handed by piazza Rivoluzione you have in all probability seen him. It is the statue above the fountain in the course of the sq..
The Genius of Palermo is depicted as a bearded man, with a crown on his head and with one other slightly peculiar ingredient: a snake that appears to be feeding from his chest and, typically, with a canine mendacity at his toes.
However who is that this Genius? It’s troublesome to know precisely as his determine is shrouded in fable. It’s believed to have pre-Roman origins and its authentic perform was to function safety of locations.
Probably the most shared that means is that the Genius is the illustration of the town, the “genius loci”, the protecting spirit of a spot.
The one in piazza Rivoluzione is simply one of many “Geniuses” that you could find strolling round Palermo, however there are lots of extra. It’s mentioned that, in the event you look arduous sufficient, there are as many as 16 geniuses hidden round Palermo.
At the least 5 are properly seen, some within the open, just like the one you could find in Villa Giulia, within the Botanical Backyard (Orto Botanico), or close to the Vucciria, referred to as Genio del Garraffo, recognized popularly as Palermo the nice (Palermu lu grandi, in Sicliano).
