Fonte Gaia - Siena

This fountain, designed around the year 1419 by Jacoppo della Quercia, is located in the center of Piazza del Campo.

The 'Fountain of Joy' takes its name from the lavish celebration that the residents of Siena held in honor of the new fountain, the flowing water. That water was brought to the city by means of an ingenious system of aqueducts from up to 30 kilometers away.

You can imagine that this was an enormous enrichment for the city of Siena. Now Siena has many more fountains, but the Fonte Gaia is without a doubt one of the most beautiful. This is thanks to the impressive bas-reliefs that della Quercia added to the fountain. His design was inspired by the traditional medieval fountains of Siena. which were often rectangular in shape.

The reliefs on the sides of the fountain depict the story of Adam and Eve and the expulsion from paradise. The reverse shows a Madonna and Child surrounded by allegories of the virtues.

This fountain is not the original fountain by the way. It was replaced by a copy in the mid-nineteenth century. What remains of the original fountain now stands in the Palazzo Pubblico. In the 1990s, a number of parts of the original fountain were restored.

Willem Vandenameele