Two out of Four Fountains
These two remaining restored marble fountains were part of a set of four which graced the corners of an important crossroads in Messina until the earthquke of 1908
These two magnificent marble fountains, which are similar but not identical , by different artists, are currently on the corner of two relatively modern buildings in Messina, Italy. They are at the junction of Via Septiembre 1 (at the time Via Austria) and Via Cardines. The original buildings to which they, and their two missing compatriates, were attached to were demolished during the Messina earthquake of 1908.
The fountains originated from a project by the architect Giacomo Calcagne starting in the mid 1600s but not actually completed until 1747. The first two, which surve were the work, in 1666, Innosenzo Mangani and, in 1714, by Ignazio Bakeeti.
Of the other two, one is totally lost and the last is partially restored and is in the garden of the city museum. Both were completed 1742 by Antonino Amato.
The four fountains in Messina were all very similar to fountains in both Palermo and Rome. Both white and pink marble were used. On all the fountains there were no Spanish Imperial emblems, just the emblem of the House of Savoy and a shield supported by two lions.
These two remaining sculptures look a little out of place on the corners of two fairly modern buildings but they do represent the long term efforts of the city of Messina to recover from both the 1908 earthquake and the bombing during WW2.
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