Fontana del Tritone (English: Triton's Fountain) is a monumental fountain in Trapani, Sicily. Its large octagonal basin was constructed in 1890 to mark the completion of the Dammusi aqueduct, a major late-nineteenth-century public-works project promoted by the politician Nunzio Nasi.
The present sculptural group, depicting a Triton accompanied by marine creatures, was added between 1951 and 1953 and is among the best-known works of the Trapanese sculptor Domenico Li Muli.[1][2] The fountain is widely regarded as one of the symbolic monuments of modern Trapani.[3][4]
History
The fountain’s stone basin was built in 1890 as a civic monument celebrating the inauguration of the Dammusi aqueduct, which supplied fresh water to the expanding city.[1] The work formed part of a broader programme of infrastructural improvements promoted by Nunzio Nasi, who inaugurated the basin during his administration.[1] For several decades the structure stood without a central sculptural element.
In 1951 the municipality commissioned sculptor Domenico Li Muli to create a mythological group for the basin.[1][2] Owing to budgetary constraints, the work—originally conceived in bronze—was executed in reinforced concrete.[2][3] The completed group was installed in the early 1950s and quickly became a prominent landmark in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.[4]
The fountain comprises a broad octagonal basin edged with marble and surrounded by stone benches.[1] At its centre rises Li Muli’s sculptural ensemble: a vigorous Triton, half man and half fish, standing on a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two hippocamps.[2] Sea nymphs and a variety of marine creatures emerge from the water around the figure.[3] The ensemble exemplifies Li Muli’s expressive, theatrical style and reflects mid-twentieth-century interpretations of classical mythology.[3]
The fountain is located at the centre of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, one of the principal public spaces of modern Trapani, opposite the 1882 monument to King Victor Emmanuel II.[1]
Conservation
The fountain has undergone several conservation interventions. A major restoration was carried out in 2013, funded by the Lions Club of Trapani and supervised by the regional Soprintendenza. The project involved cleaning, structural repairs to the sculptural group, and the renewal of the lighting and water systems.[2][1] Additional maintenance and cleaning were undertaken in 2018.[3]
In September 2025 the fountain sustained damage when one of the legs of a sculpted horse was broken, prompting renewed public concern for the monument’s protection and upkeep.[5][6] The municipality repaired the damaged section in late September 2025, following consultation with the regional heritage authority.[7]
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