Piazza Mercurio

Mercury Square is named after the statue of the god Mercury above the fountain in its center. The historic buildings that surround it are the ancient Beheaded St.  John's Church and the Town Hall, also known as Bourdillion Palace, named after the noble family who owned it originally. In urban project by Alberico I Cybo-Malaspina, the Mercury Fountain (1566) was to be the most representative of the new city, Massa Cybea, symbol and urban expression of his personal thought. It consisted of a large circular basin fed by two spouts opposite sides of a structure with a square base, topped with a statue of the god Mercury, of colossal dimensions. Since the eighteenth century, however, the fountain underwent many changes, which have completely changed the original setting: after an earthquake, on top of it was raised a column of Carrara marble topped by the statue of the deity.