The Fontana del Gigante or Fountain of the Giant is a 17th-century fountain monument in Naples.
It was originally built adjacent to the Royal Palace of Naples, where it stood near a colossal ancient statue, and thereby gained its name. From there it was moved to the site of Palace of the Immacolatella, but in 1905, it was moved to it present picturesque site, on via Partenope, near the Castel dell'Ovo. It is also called the Fontana dell'Immacolatella.
The fountain was commissioned by the Spanish viceroy, Antonio Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Duke of Alba, and erected alongside the royal palace at the edge of the Largo di Palazzo (currently known as Piazza del Plebiscito), at a corner (currently the start of Via Cesario Console) where a colossal statue, known as il Gigante or Giant, had been erected. The statue coupled with the fountain can be seen in this location in some paintings from past centuries, including one by Gaspar van Wittel preserved in the public art gallery of the Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano on via Toledo. [1] The statue of the Giant had been assembled in 1670 after a colossal bust, putatively depicting Jupiter Stator, was found in Cumae, to which the other parts were added. The statue was removed in 1807. The fountain was designed by the Florentine artists, Pietro Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino.
The fountain was removed in 1815 from its original location during the works to refurbish the statue of the Giant. The stones remained in storage until 1882, when the fountain was reassembled sans Giant statue at a small pier, near the Palazzo dell'Immacolatella, which led to the fountain's other name as of the Immacolatella. [2] The bust of Jupiter Stator is now on display in the Naples archeological museum.
Four years later in 1886, the fountain was again disassembled, and moved in 1889 to a site on the grounds of the Villa del Popolo. The new location was considered unfortunate, in part because the area was now surrounded by unscenic port warehouses. By 1904 a letter to a Neapolitan magazine complained the state of deterioration of the fountain and had proposed to place it in newly arising district of Villa Santa Lucia, that was about to be built at that time. In 1905-1906, it was moved again, to a spot where via Partenope widens, where via Nazario begins. [2]
The richly decorated, Mannerist ensemble of the monumental fountain is articulated through three round arches, above which are placed the heraldic symbols of the Viceroy of Naples and his king. In the central arch there is the cup which is supported by two marine animals, while the statues in the remaining two lateral arches represent river divinities holding two monsters of the sea in their hands. Two caryatid statues holding cornucopias are placed at the end of the last arches.
Manfredo Manfredi was inspired by this fountain for the creation of the arch of the Carosello, which from 1963 appeared in the opening of the famous advertising program broadcast on RAI between 1957 and 1977. [3]
Domenico Fontana was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance, born in today's Ticino. He worked primarily in Italy, at Rome and Naples.
Pigna is the 9th rione of Rome, identified by the initials R. IX, and belongs to the Municipio I. The name means "pine cone" in Italian, and the symbol of the rione is the colossal bronze pine cone standing in the middle of the homonymous fountain. The fountain, which was initially located in the Baths of Agrippa, now decorates a vast niche in the wall of the Vatican facing the Cortile della Pigna, located in Vatican City.
Cosimo Fanzago was an Italian architect and sculptor, generally considered the greatest such artist of the Baroque period in Naples, Italy.
Ferdinando Fuga was an Italian architect who was born in Florence, and is known for his work in Rome and Naples. Much of his early work was in Rome, notably, the Palazzo della Consulta (1732–7) at the Quirinal, the Palazzo Corsini (1736–54), the façade of the Santa Maria Maggiore (1741–3), and the Church of Sant'Apollinare (1742–8). He later moved to Naples and notably designed the Albergo de'Poveri (1751–81), the façade of the Church of the Gerolamini, and that of the Palazzo Giordano.
The Royal Palace of Naples is a palace, museum, and historical tourist destination located in central Naples, southern Italy.
Piazza Barberini is a large piazza in the centro storico or city center of Rome, Italy and situated on the Quirinal Hill. It was created in the 16th century but many of the surrounding buildings have subsequently been rebuilt.
The Royal Palace of Portici is a former royal palace in Portici, Southeast of Naples along the coast, in the region of Campania, Italy. Today it is the home of the Orto Botanico di Portici, a botanical garden operated by the University of Naples Federico II. These gardens were once part of the large royal estate that included an English garden, a zoo and formal parterres.
Via Toledo is an ancient street and one of the most important shopping thoroughfares in the city of Naples, Italy. The street is almost 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) long and starts at Piazza Dante and ends in Piazza Trieste e Trento, near Piazza del Plebiscito.
The historic center, or Centro Storico, of Naples, Italy represents the historic nucleus of the city, spanning 27 centuries.
Michelangelo Naccherino was an Italian sculptor and architect, active mainly in the Kingdom of Naples, Italy.
The Fountain of Neptune is a monumental fountain, located in Municipio square, in Naples, Italy. The fountain until the end of 2014 was located across the street of via Medina across from the church of Santa Maria Incoronata, Naples and a few doors south of the church complex of Pieta di Turchini. Now the fountain is located in front of the Town hill building, its location changed due to the construction of the new underground station.
The Fontana del Sebeto is a monumental fountain located in largo Sermoneta in the zone of Mergellina of Naples, Italy.
The Palazzo San Giacomo, known as the Municipio is a Neoclassical style palace in central Naples, Italy. It stands before the fortress of the Maschio Angioino, stradling the zones of Porto and San Ferdinando. It houses the mayor and the offices of the municipality of Naples. The entire office complex spans from largo de Castello to Via Toledo, along via di San Giacomo.
The Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano is a Baroque palace located on Via Toledo number 185 in the quartiere San Ferdinando of central Naples, Italy. It is also called the Palazzo Zevallos or Palazzo Colonna di Stigliano, and since 2014 serves as a museum of artworks, mainly spanning the 17th through the early 20th centuries, sponsored by the Cultural Project of the bank Intesa Sanpaolo. This museum is linked to the Museum or Gallerie di Piazza Scala in Milan and the Museum at Palazzo Leoni Montanari in Vicenza, also owned by the Bank.
The Poggio Reale villa or Villa Poggio Reale was an Italian Renaissance villa commissioned in 1487 by Alfonso II of Naples as a royal summer residence. The Italian phrase "poggio reale" translates to "royal hill" in English. The villa was designed and built by Giuliano da Maiano and located in the city of Naples, in the district now known as Poggioreale, between the present Via del Campo, Via Santa Maria del Pianto and the new and old Via Poggioreale. At the time it was built, a period when the capital city of the Kingdom of Naples was renowned for elegant homes with expansive vistas of the surrounding landscape and Mount Vesuvius, the villa was outside the city walls of Naples and was one of the most important architectural achievements of the Neapolitan Renaissance. Imitated, admired, robbed of its treasures by another king, left in ruins and partially destroyed, the summer palace of the King of Naples lives on in name as a style.
The Praetorian Fountain is a monumental fountain located in Piazza Pretoria in the historic center of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. The fountain dominates the piazza on the west flank of the church of Santa Caterina, and is one block south of the intersection of the Quattro Canti. The fountain was originally built in 1544 in Florence by Francesco Camilliani, but was sold, transferred, and reassembled in Palermo in 1574.
The Amphitheatre of Capua was a Roman amphitheatre in the city of Capua, second only to the Colosseum in size and probably the model for it. It may have been the first amphitheatre to be built by the Romans. and was the location of the first and most famous gladiator school.
Giulio Cesare Fontana was an Italian architect and engineer, mainly active in Naples and its surroundings.
