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THE FOUNTAIN OF THE 99 SPOUTS
Ninety-nine spouts symbolize the ninety-nine castles from which people were called together in the 13th century to form a new "mother town": present-day L'Aquila. Thus says the legend of the Fountain of the 99 Spouts, the symbolic monument of civic unity located in the southwest zone of this city in Abruzzo. Built in 1272, the Fountain of the 99 Spouts is the monument that the FAI has chosen to restore in order to make its own material contribution to the city struck by the tragic earthquake last April, in agreement with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
A symbolic monument for over eight centuries
Chosen as a town symbol for its uniqueness, the Fountain of the 99 Spouts is located in the southwest part of L'Aquila. The monument was built in the 13th century and it still preserves its original trapezoidal design. Its three high walls, however, are from a later date, very probably the 1400s, and are decorated in a checkerboard pattern of white and pink stone from the Genzano di Sassa quarry, connected by broad stairs. The fountain has two large basins. Running along the foot of each wall is a socle adorned with grotesque masks, from which water pours into a basin, which then empties into another lower basin. The masks alternate with panels bearing round roses carved with four full leaves or in a small ring, decorative patterns common in Abruzzo.
The masks are undoubtedly allegorical; nevertheless, there are numerous references to real life: hooded faces (monks), knights and maidens can be seen, possibly the "caricatures" of well-known personages.
Initially designed as a public wash-house, it was used for this purpose up until the early decades of the 20th century. Its construction can be definitely dated to 1272, as we are informed by the stone plaque, clearly made in the 13th century, set in the central part of the wall, opposite the entrance gate. The name of the architect, Tancredi da Pentima, is legible; he was given the commission for the job by Lucchesino Aleta, a lord from Tuscany, not Abruzzo. The inscription reads thus: MAGIS TANGREDUS DE PENTOMA DE VALVA FECIT HOC OPUS, followed by the clearly legible date, A.D. MCCXXII.
It is still somewhat of a mystery what the fountain was like originally and in what later stages it took on its present-day appearance. Presumably part of the masks, the basin at the back and the parapet divided by octagonal half pillars go back to 1272, whereas major enlargement work was done between 1582 and 1585 with the addition of several masks, to support the legend of the founding of the city, and of the left wall, designed by Alessandro Ciccarone. The first restoration work was done on the fountain in 1744 to repair damage caused by the 1703 earthquake, and it included the building of the right wall in the Baroque style. In 1934 the area was enclosed and the square was given a general renovation. Extensive restoration work was done in 1994 on both the hydraulics and on the fountain's architectural and artistic structure.
The legend of the old fountain
At the time of the founding (or "re-founding") of the city in the 13th century, the urban plan called for uniting all the people from the castles in the surrounding area into a sort of "mother town." Each castle sent people to an assigned area, with the intention of reproducing the place where they came from at each location: thus there had to be a square with a fountain in the middle and a church, around which the houses were to be built.
A total of 99 castles took part, and therefore there were 99 squares, fountains and churches. Actually, the number of participating castles was much lower, around seventy at most, still a truly considerable number for the time. According to legend a large fountain was built that was to be the symbol of this ambitious project of civic unity, naturally with 99 spouts to commemorate the number of founding castles.
There are actually only 93 spouts on the parapet - another 6 spouts are on the right side and they don't have a face. Apparently these 6 simple spouts were added in more recent times so that it would live up to the legendary number.
According to tradition, the spring that feeds the fountain is unknown, to avoid having the corresponding castle make claims on it. Today virtually all experts agree that the main source is located in the area above the fountain, close to the Church of Santa Chiara d'Aquili and the Convent of the Cappuccini Friars.
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