The Fonte Gaia

The Fonte Gaia was completed in 1419, a little more than ten years after the start of the project by Jacopo della Quercia. A very strong civic symbol, it represented an ideal frame for that precious resource that was water for any citizen, especially for those living in hilly areas. The fountain, situated in the middle of the Campo, was decorated with reliefs of the Madonna (patron of the city) and flanked by the Virtues, indispensable inspirations for Good Government. The weak material used for its construction – marble from the Montagnola di Siena – and the daily life that took place in the square have significantly contributed to the material degradation of the fountain. One of the major traumas was indeed inflicted by someone who, in 1743, climbed one of the two freestanding sculptures (Rhea Silvia) to get a better view of the Palio, breaking it into pieces and falling victim to it. In 1859, it was decided to replace Jacopo's fountain with a copy made from the more durable Carrara marble, commissioned to the Sienese purist sculptor Tito Sarrocchi (1824-1900). The monument, which can still be admired today in the Campo, was inaugurated only ten years later and was protected by a fence designed by the architect Giuseppe Partini. In 1904, on the occasion of the exhibition of Ancient Sienese Art, the remains of what had been one of the greatest sources of municipal pride were instead reorganized in the Loggia dei Nove of Palazzo Pubblico, where they remained until 1989 when the first phases of their recovery began. After more than a century, the long and complex restoration, which lasted about twenty years, has been completed. In the current display, the original marbles are accompanied by both plaster models by Sarrocchi and casts taken from Jacopo's fountain before its dismantling from Piazza del Campo.