Fountain of the Nymph
The Fountain of the Nymph in Bologna was designed by Tito Azzolini and Attilio Muggia, who had also worked on the construction of the city's new synagogue. Located at the foot of the Montagnola gardens, adorning the steps leading to the park, the fountain represents the heart of the architectural structure, whose side parts are decorated with depictions of Bononia docet and Bononia Libertas.
The Montagnola Gardens were the city's first public gardens. Records of them date back to the 17th century, but it was not until 1896 that its monumental staircase was inaugurated. At the end of the 19th century, in fact, important public works were carried out that culminated in the opening of Via Indipendenza, the wide avenue that still leads from the central station to Piazza Maggiore, and that also led to the construction of the new entrance to the Montagnola.
The Legend of the Nymph and Neptune
At the centre of the fountain stands
the figure of the nymph, the work of sculptor Diego Sarti, who is caught in the desperate act of escaping from the grasp of a sea monster by clinging to a horse. The nymph's naked body is very sensual which has placed her at the centre of a
mischievous and amusing legend that also involves the
Fountain of Neptune.
it is said that the papal viceroy Pier Donato Cesi, who had commissioned the famous fountain from Jean de Boulogne in 1563, asked the sculptor to
reduce the size of Neptune's genitals, which in his opinion seemed excessive. Although reluctantly, Jean de Boulogne granted the client's requests.
So it was that the Bolognese, in order to justify the nymph's escape into the Montagnola fountain, mischievously found the cause in the changed dimensions of Neptune's statue, whom they imagined to be her wife. Giosuè Carducci himself, an illustrious professor at the University of Bologna, gave voice to this popular legend by composing a sonnet in honour of the Fountain of the Nymph.
The lost Rocca Pontificia
The fountain and the staircase were built in a very important place in the history of Bologna. In the area of the Montagnola once stood the
Rocca Pontificia or Rocca di Galliera, first built in 1332 and then
destroyed by the people of Bologna in protest against the papal legates, and later rebuilt four more times.
Today, we can only admire the remains of the first building of the fortress, not far from the fountain itself, which housed frescoes by great artists such as
Giotto, which have been lost. Further traces of the presence of the historic building can also be found in the basement of the nearby Hotel I Portici, once the fortress' ice house.
