Santa Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo. She saved the city from the plague in 1625. Santa Rosalia was born as Rosalia Sinibaldi around 1128 in Palermo, daughter of the duke Sinibaldo, lord of Quisquina and lord of the Mount delle Rose, her mother was Maria Guiscardi, a woman of noble origins related to the Norman court: the name Rosalia is chosen because – according to tradition – the figure announcing to the count Roger the birth of the child on behalf of God, speaks of a rose without thorns.Rosalia was born, right around this square. The name of the villa she was born in you already know: “olim Villa”, What you didn’t know is that this villa belonged to the family of Rosalia. Rosalia walked around here in her early years, maybe you took even the same steps as she did when she was very small.

To see more about Santa Rosalia, go into the church di sant’ignazio all’olivella and find her niche on your right.