The medieval fountain recalling the villages that founded the city
In the lower part of L'Aquila, near the Porta Rivera and the Aterno river, the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle is one of the oldest and most beloved monuments of the city, built in 1272 by the master Tancredi da Pentima, a few years after the foundation of L'Aquila. The fountain encloses a trapezoidal courtyard on three sides, with walls covered, like the façade of Collemaggio, by a checkerboard pattern of white and pink stone, along which runs a series of spouts coming out of stone masks, all different from each other, human faces, animals and fantastic figures, from which the water flows into a long basin.
The number 99 is not accidental: according to tradition, L'Aquila was founded in the thirteenth century by the union of the inhabitants of 99 castles (villages) of the surrounding area, who moved to the new city, each building its own quarter with a church, a square and a fountain, and the 99 spouts symbolise these founding communities. The number 99 recurs constantly in the history of the city: it is said that there were 99 squares, 99 churches and 99 fountains, and still today, every evening, the bell of the Torre Civica rings 99 times in memory of the founding villages. The origin of the water of the fountain has long been a mystery, since its spring has never been precisely identified, which has given rise to legends. Restored after the 2009 earthquake, the fountain is a symbol of the identity and resilience of the Aquilani.
Tip: count the masks and look for the differences between them; come back in the evening to hear the 99 bell strokes.
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