The Fontana del Formiello (Fountain of the Formiello) is a historic public fountain located at the rear exterior of the

Castel Capuano Castel Capuano is a castle in Naples, southern Italy. It takes its name from the fact that it was at that point in the city walls where the road led out to the city of Capua. The castle is at the southwest end of via dei Tribunali, and until re ...

, facing Piazza Enrico de Nicola, and across the street from the church and convent of

Santa Caterina a Formiello Santa Caterina a Formiello is a church in Naples, in southern Italy, located at the extreme eastern end of the old historic center of the city, on Via Carbonara and Piazza Enrico de Nicola, near the gate called Porta Capuana. The term ''Formiello' ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy. The term Formiello comes from the forms or containers for water spouts found in the convent. The fountain had been placed in storage during the late 19th century, and reconstructed at this site in 1930. Mastro Joseppe and Michel De Guido were commissioned in 1573 to reconstruct a medieval fountain, originally called Fontana Reale con Abeveratoio, suggesting it was a watering station for horses. Three lion masks disgorge water, while the superior structure has a heraldic shield of the viceroy. The Shield is that of Don Pedro Tellez Giron, Duke of Osuna. A plaque in Latin states that: "While Philip II (of Spain) governed, here stopped travelers to venerate the waters of the Sebeto River, that the choirs of the Aonidi, and the waves of

Parnassus Mount Parnassus (; , ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is, and historically has been, especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers scenic views of the c ...

, here provide you the source of

Melpomene Melpomene (; ) is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne (and therefore of power and memory) along with the other Muses, and she is often portrayed with a tragic theatrical mask. Etymolog ...

, who sings the aria of the works of the king." It is rumored that in the 17th century the viceroy Don Pedro Antonio of Aragon added a statue of

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

, but the placement was rebuffed by the people of Naples. Formiello_Lato

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Formiello, Naples Fountains in Naples