This is one of the five flat areas in the city centre called squares, and it is the westernmost one, on the ridge. The area is also commonly known as Spinètto, a toponym that probably derives from a neighbourhood in the Serra San Bruno, since the Carthusian monks, since their foundation at the beginning of the second millennium by the Norman Robert Guiscard, had land concessions that extended to the low hills near the sea, including Badolato.
Its name derives from the church of the same name that existed in the neighbourhood until the earthquake of 1783.
The large open space was well known during the Fascist period because it was often used for meetings of the regime, but its fame was – and still is – remarkable for the fact that every year on Easter Sunday the Cumprùnta takes place, the meeting of Jesus, triumphant over death, with his mother who, on seeing him, transforms her agonising pain into radiant joy. The event takes place at noon, amidst the flag dances of the brotherhoods, the drumming and the triumphant playing of the band, in a jubilant atmosphere, with a crowd that praises and weeps with emotion.
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