Quattro Fontane di Taormina (Four Fountains of Taormina), Taormina
The Four Fountains of Taormina play a small trick on the visitor: there is only one fountain, though its four spouting corners gave rise to the plural name. Standing in Cathedral Square before the Church of Saint Nicholas of Bari, the fountain was commissioned by the town in 1635, during the Baroque makeover of Sicily under Spanish rule. It was meant to quench the thirst of residents, livestock, and passing travelers, but at the same time to show that Taormina had taste-and funds-to spare.
Two stacked basins form the heart of the fountain, the smaller inscribed with the names of the town figures who paid for it. At each corner, a column sprouts a hippocampus, a strange hybrid of horse and fish, intended to pour water into small basins. Their plumbing is erratic now, but the creatures still stand guard, frozen in mid-spout.
The centerpiece is harder to overlook: a crowned centaur, long a symbol of Taormina, raised high on a pedestal. Here, though, tradition is bent-the figure is androgynous, orb and cross in one hand, scepter in the other, stomach spilling a little generously over its midsection. Far from the sleek warriors of myth, this centaur carries the airs of sovereignty with a human touch, an emblem both serious and sly.
Once the practical hub of Taormina鈥檚 public life, the Four Fountains now serve more as a stage set for the square. Encircled by narrow lanes and old palaces, they preserve the city鈥檚 mix of myth, Baroque style, and civic pride in stone and water.
Two stacked basins form the heart of the fountain, the smaller inscribed with the names of the town figures who paid for it. At each corner, a column sprouts a hippocampus, a strange hybrid of horse and fish, intended to pour water into small basins. Their plumbing is erratic now, but the creatures still stand guard, frozen in mid-spout.
The centerpiece is harder to overlook: a crowned centaur, long a symbol of Taormina, raised high on a pedestal. Here, though, tradition is bent-the figure is androgynous, orb and cross in one hand, scepter in the other, stomach spilling a little generously over its midsection. Far from the sleek warriors of myth, this centaur carries the airs of sovereignty with a human touch, an emblem both serious and sly.
Once the practical hub of Taormina鈥檚 public life, the Four Fountains now serve more as a stage set for the square. Encircled by narrow lanes and old palaces, they preserve the city鈥檚 mix of myth, Baroque style, and civic pride in stone and water.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Taormina. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Quattro Fontane di Taormina (Four Fountains of Taormina) on Map
Sight Name: Quattro Fontane di Taormina (Four Fountains of Taormina)
Sight Location: Taormina, Italy (See walking tours in Taormina)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Taormina, Italy (See walking tours in Taormina)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Taormina, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Taormina
Creating your own self-guided walk in Taormina is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Taormina Introduction Walking Tour
In 396 BC, the notorious tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse instructed his commander Andromachus to establish a settlement at the foot of Mount Etna. This came after Dionysius had destroyed the ancient Greek city of Naxos, leaving its displaced inhabitants in need of a new home. The settlement's original name, Tauromenion, meaning 鈥渄welling on the Taurus,鈥� referred to the nearby mountain... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles