Gruppo TORELLA

Located in the lower part of the historic center of Torella dei Lombardi, near the splendid Candriano Castle, there is a real masterpiece of hydraulic engineering called the Monumental Fountain. This fountain was built towards the middle of the 19th century in order to supply the Torellesi with water from the many neighboring springs. This fountain has become the symbol of the town.

The monument has three limestone arches, round arches and is on two levels. In the lower part, behind sturdy stone arches, there are four long public wash houses, located in an area covered by barrel vaults. Along the wall there are mouths with masks, which each throw water into its tub, here the women used to go to occupy the '' connuto '' (sink) to wash the laundry. The upper part has a roofless terrace, paved in smooth stone, which seems to be the natural extension of via De Sanctis and which connects the monument with piazza Europa and therefore with the imposing Ruspoli castle. It has nine collection tanks, in limestone, with nine water supply spouts in the shape of a lion's head. In addition to these pools there are an overflow and a wash house fed by a horizontal channel. Here, up to the 1950s, water was used for domestic purposes.

The latest version of the fountain was created by the De Cicco brothers.

1823

Piazza Largo Fontana Torella dei Lombardi (AV)

Municipality of Torella Dei Lombardi

The monument is in a good state of conservation, it is currently functional even if it is no longer used for the purposes for which it was created. It needs cleaning from weeds and rubble.

In place of the current fountain there was a public one which consisted of a basin to collect, through pipes, the spring water from the "gardens of the prince". Documents from the early 1800s mentioned a contract to repair the "Municipal Fountain", entrusted in 1823 to the De Cicco brothers. They completed the new structure, as the result of a complex architectural and hydraulic work. The last restoration work was carried out after the earthquake, as the entire hydraulic distribution system currently visible in the crypt behind the upper level of the Fountain has been restored. Once at the center of the life of the small town, at the foot of the castle, today it is in a peripheral position, far from the main roads.