the torres fountain and vittoria square
This is a small but very romantic fountain on the lovely and shady Piazza Vittoria.
water for the old city
The Torres fountain is a monumental fountain that you can find in Victoria Square, in the Brindisi city centre. It was one of the fountains of the town designed to collect potable water from the cisterns of Porta Mesagne gate. The fountain was built in 1618 by the Governor Pedro Aloysio De Torres, who gave it the name.
The fountain was especially needed for the market in Piazza delle Vettovaglie, now known as Market Square. The cost of this fountain, which was made to
make drinking water available to people living in the historic centre, was charged
to the wealthiest Brindisi citizens. It was built by reusing materials such as the
marble basin, which was used in medieval age as a baptismal font.
On the marble stand that rises from the middle of the basin an outlined shield is attributable to King Philip III of Spain, reigning at the time of the monument's construction. Although the interpretation is difficult due to the state of conservation, it is possible to identify, apart from the shield, three crowned helmets on top of it and a rope around it.
elements older than construction date
The continuous flow of the water coated the marble stand with reddish limescale, which now coats the few recognizable elements carved in the white marble. The several elements of this fountain are certainly older than the date of the construction, probably they were recovered and then restored. Pietro Toesca, who examined the monument several times, has judged it in this way: “The fountain of Victory square in Brindisi is attributed to the 17th century, instead it was only restored, the marble basin and the marble in the middle is in Byzantine style and belongs to the 12th century".
how to get there
The square with its fountain is located in the commercial heart of the city center. It is best accessible on foot during a city walk.