About
The fountain has 99 unique stone faces whose origins and meaning are unknown.
The Fountain of 99 Spouts (Fontana delle 99 Cannelle), an icon in the city of L’Aquila, is one of the most impressive and unique monuments in the southern Italian region of Abruzzo. Built in the 13th century, it is shrouded in legend and its true meaning is still a mystery. The prevailing legend is that this unique piece of civil architecture represents the “99” castles from the surrounding counties (actually there were far fewer, closer to 70) that joined together to found the city of L’Aquila in the late-medieval era. In reality, though, this origin legend was likely attached to the monument after it was built, according to the inscription.
