An eighteenth-century monumental fountain in Piazza Duomo, built to bring clean water to the city and decorated with a bronze Neptune and marine figures.
At a glance
The fountain stands at the centre of Piazza Duomo in Trento, in front of the cathedral. It is a work in red stone with a polygonal stairway, sculpted marine figures and a bronze statue of Neptune at the top. The municipal sources describe it as a baroque urban furnishing, about twelve metres high, commissioned by the civic magistrate from the sculptor Francesco Antonio Giongo of Lavarone.
Key facts
- Where: Piazza Duomo, Trento
- What: Fountain
- When: 1767–1769 (commissioned and inaugurated)
- GPS: 46.0675, 11.1215 · Open in Google Maps
History
The fountain was commissioned in 1767 by the Magistrato civico from Francesco Antonio Giongo di Lavarone, who was responsible for both the artistic design and the architectural construction in red Trento stone. It was inaugurated on 26 June 1769 for the feast of San Vigilio. Its purpose was not only decorative: the fountain was designed to carry clean water to the citizens, and at the same time works were carried out to connect it to water sources at suitable altitudes, with studies and works for the purification of the water conveyed to the fountain. The dedication to Neptune, the deity of waters, is believed to refer to the Latin name of Trento, Tridentum, which recalls the god’s trident. The original eighteenth-century statue, made by the Como sculptor Stefano Salterio, is now in the inner courtyard of Palazzo Thun. The present Neptune at the top of the fountain is a bronze copy made in 1945 by Davide Rigatti. The other sculptural groups decorating the fountain in Piazza Duomo were remade in 1869–1872 by Andrea Malfatti, based on surveys drawn by Ferdinando Bassi in 1865–1866. A copy of the fountain exists in Elberfeld (Wuppertal), made in 1895 by the sculptor Leo Müsch.
What you see
The fountain rises on a polygonal stairway that forms its base. The first level is composed of a large polylobate basin and four shell-shaped basins, from which emerge mythological figures of tritons and sea horses in white Arco stone. The central column has a pedestal decorated with four putti riding dolphins, and supports a circular basin; at the top stands the bronze statue of Neptune holding a trident. Red stone, white stone and grey stone are mentioned in the description of the materials. The whole structure is set at the centre of the piazza, with the cathedral facade and the painted houses of the square as a backdrop.
Do you know more about this place?
If you know a date, a name, a document, a plaque or a photograph that tells its story, write to Sofia at sofia@culturalheritageonline.com or through the contact page. What arrives with a source goes into this page, with your name as the contributor.
Nearby
- Mart – Civic Gallery of Trento — a museum in Trento
Sources
- Comune di Trento, SpaziComuni: Fontana del Nettuno: commission, date of inauguration, author, materials, sculptors, restoration and presence of a copy in Elberfeld.
- Trentino Cultura, Fontana del Nettuno: function of the fountain, connection with the name Tridentum, sculptors and materials.
- myCityHunt, Fontana del Nettuno (Trento): dates of construction and substitution of the statue, sculptors.
- Elle Decor, Fontana del Nettuno, storia e caratteristiche: project and function of the Trento fountain, sculptors and materials.
- OpenStreetMap, Fontana del Nettuno: address and coordinates of the fountain.
- Stefano Vigolo, photographs and notes to the editorial staff (2026): identification of the subject and photographic documentation. Not a published source
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