Churches and monuments · Sorrento
The Fountain of Via Sant'Antonino in Sorrento
A marble fountain that moved house: born by Sorrento's old town gate, it now closes Via Sant'Antonino. Its history and inscription.
2 min read
A few steps from Piazza Tasso lies Via Sant'Antonino, a street in the old town lined with historic buildings, some dating from the 17th century, and restaurants renowned for the quality of their food. At the end of the street stands a marble fountain that many people barely notice, yet it has a curious story: it was not born here, and its Latin inscription tells how the town decided to restore its dignity.
From the old gate to Via Sant'Antonino
The fountain originally stood on the parapet of the ravine, on the south side of Sorrento's old town gate, where Piazza Tasso now lies. This was where travellers entered the town from the east, when it was still defended by its ravines and its ancient walls. The 19th-century changes, which filled in part of the ravine and created the square, also changed the fate of the fountain.
In 1873 the town council decided to move it to a more suitable spot, considering it an asset of public utility. It was therefore placed in Via Sant'Antonino, although probably not all of its marble parts were reused in the move.
What the inscription says
The plaque records an earlier restoration, dated 1863. The Latin text says that the mayor and the four aldermen of the municipality of Sorrento saw to rebuilding and cleaning the fountain, which had become squalid with encrustations and had stopped working through age, after the square and the two streets leading off it, one to the right and one to the left, had been repaved with stone slabs or gravel.
The inscription ends with an elegant couplet: Sordibus abstersis instructo marmore priscus fons nitet et maneat gratior unda tibi. With the grime removed and the marble restored, the ancient fountain shines again, with the wish that its water may be all the more welcome to passers-by. A small example of how, in the 19th century, even an everyday public work was celebrated in the language of the classics.
Getting there and what to see nearby
Via Sant'Antonino is a couple of minutes' walk from Piazza Tasso. Stroll along it slowly, looking at the doorways of the 17th-century buildings, then stop in front of the fountain to pick out the words of the inscription. The area is a good starting point for visiting the Basilica of Saint Antoninus, dedicated to the town's patron saint, and if it is time for lunch or dinner you will find ideas in our where to eat in Sorrento section.
