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Via Maqueda
	Via Maqueda, facade of Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi.
Former name(s)	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

Via Maqueda, also known as "Strada Nuova" (New Street), is an important street of Palermo. 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.^[1]

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 Villena). The two streets are also 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	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
		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
Church of Sant'Orsola
Palazzo Gravina di Comitini		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

^ 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.