‘E Sena Fountain

The twelve public fountains in the city centre were strategically placed (in the 1920s) in places chosen with good sense and intelligence: eight of them follow the path of the ridge, Corso Umberto I, from Piazza Santa Barbara to the Bastione; two were placed in Mancùsu and two in Destru. Thirty years later another one was placed in Chjanu de’ carra.

Among the thirteen fountains, which today are rarely used because water is available in every house, the most frequently mentioned is the fountain of ‘e Sena, located in Jusutèrra, in a small square at the beginning of via Piliero, near Chianu ‘e ndon Stèfanu. It is called “di Siena” because the Via Siena begins further down Via Piliero. The fame of this fountain is due to the presence, about a hundred metres away, of a large stone from which the fountain can be seen. Young lovers would often gather there, taking turns to admire their beloved from a distance. The lover would wait at the well with a barrel to fetch water.

The stone, which is still there, was named Petra d’annammuràtu (Lovers’ Stone). Today it is marked with a plaque by the Badolato artist Gianni Verdiglione.