Water sources, fountains and wash houses
St. Martin Fountains in Esanatoglia (MC)
Once called “Outdoor Sources”, they are a rare example of a still perfectly working 14th century hydraulic work.
Fallera Source in Fermo (FM)
A medieval water source dating back to the the 14th century, this monumental structure raises between Bellesi and Montagnola street in the Tirassegno borough. It is called “Falliera” because its construction was probably financed by the income of fines exacted from sentenced criminals.
Fountain of Cardinal Ginetti in Fermo (FM)
The fountain was commissioned between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century by cardinal Ginetti, whose coat of arms appears in the decoration.
St. Francis Door Fountain in Fermo (FM)
It was started in 1896, when the Polesio aqueduct, which brought water to Fermo, was inaugurated.
Catalani Fountain in Fermo (FM)
Catalani Fountain, also called “delle Pisciarelle” (“of little peeing”), in Fermo, was commissioned in baroque style in 1735 by Marino Girolamo Catalani. The fountain, like all others in town, was used by people to draw water. Washing laundry or watering animals was only permitted at fountains outside the city walls.
Public Wash House in St. Serafino from Montegranaro street in Ascoli Piceno (AP)
Its origins date back to the 17th century. Also known as St. Emidio’s Fountain, the wash house is located in the Porta Cappuccina borough, close to the Roman Bridge. Its history is tied to the tradition of one of the prodigies of St. Emidio, the beheaded patron saint of Ascoli Piceno, carrier of his own head. The legend tells that having not water enough to baptize all of the new worshippers converted by his preaching, he got it by beating a stone, from which rose the source feeding this fountain. The existing wash house is the result of many changes made since it was built. Its adjustment, between 1904 and 1905, lowered the level of its water.
Arrigo Square Fountain in Ascoli Piceno (AP)
If one walks keeping the Baptistery on his right and the Cathedral walls on his left, he gets to the rectangular Square, the most ancient in Ascoli, which rose on the pre-existing Roman Court, a place always used for harangues, for speeches by orators and people’s meetings. In the very middle of it stand out two elliptical travertine basins with bronze insertions (Sea horses, a fish, putti and mascarons). They were inaugurated in 1884, at the sides of the monument to king Vittorio Emanuele II, which now is located in the civic park.
Fountain of Dogs in Giuseppe Mazzini Boulevard, in Ascoli Piceno (AP)
The fountain, built in 1823 upon a project by Ignazio Cantalamessa, is called “of dogs”, but the sculptures sustaining the basin with their backs are actually two little she-lions, probably recovered from St. Augustine’s and supposed to date back to the 13th century.
Fountain of Goddess Flora in XX September Square in Offida (AP)
It was built in 1887 after the creation of the civic aqueduct, which exploited the water spreading from the slopes of mount Ascension, close to a locality called Polesio. Made with cast iron, it raises on a stone pedestal. The basin is octagonal, with sculptured eagles and lions alternating on four sides with the empty ones. In the centre raises a strong stem sustaining a cup, and in the cup, on a hemisphere, sits a winged woman with a putto by her side; the couple holds a garland of flowers. The woman represents the goddess Flora, a symbol of Spring. The fountain was cast in a specialized French foundry.
Thetre of Sources in Ripatransone (AP)
The ensemble of the Sources dates back to the 15th – 16th century and raises in the heart of the city of Ripatransone, an ancient town in the Piceno area, not far from the sea.
After a first restoration, the Theatre of the Sources was built in front of the old city’s court. The wide semicircular staircase and the square below make up the architectural frame of one of the most suggestive open air theatres in the territory.
