Description
The Fontana del Gigante is a monumental early-17th-century fountain on the Naples waterfront, at the end of Via Partenope, a short walk from Castel dell'Ovo: three great marble arches facing the gulf, originally made for the square of the Royal Palace.
In the central arch a large basin rests on two sea creatures; in the side arches two river gods grip sea monsters, and at the ends two caryatids hold cornucopias. Up top are the coats of arms of the city, the viceroys and the king.
It is the work of Pietro Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino, for the viceroy, the Duke of Alba. The Giant was a colossal statue of Jupiter, pieced together in 1670 around a bust found at Cumae, which stood beside the fountain in what is now Piazza del Plebiscito.
From there the fountain set off in 1815 on a long journey: to the Immacolatella pier, then to the Villa del Popolo, and finally here in 1906. Viewers of Carosello knew it well: the show's animated opening by Manfredo Manfredi pictured Naples with this very fountain.
In the central arch a large basin rests on two sea creatures; in the side arches two river gods grip sea monsters, and at the ends two caryatids hold cornucopias. Up top are the coats of arms of the city, the viceroys and the king.
It is the work of Pietro Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino, for the viceroy, the Duke of Alba. The Giant was a colossal statue of Jupiter, pieced together in 1670 around a bust found at Cumae, which stood beside the fountain in what is now Piazza del Plebiscito.
From there the fountain set off in 1815 on a long journey: to the Immacolatella pier, then to the Villa del Popolo, and finally here in 1906. Viewers of Carosello knew it well: the show's animated opening by Manfredo Manfredi pictured Naples with this very fountain.