Fontana Sarracco

The Fontana Sarracco is a multi-phase fountain in Scanno's main square, built around an older stone trough. Its two arched sections and four carved masks reflect the town's history and the social world of its wool economy.

Why it matters

The fountain developed as Scanno grew from a livestock and wool-producing town. Its older trough predates the sixteenth-century structure, whose arch bears the date 1549. A second arch and an Annunciation plaque, usually dated to 1732, mark a later expansion.

What to notice

The fountain is made of two adjoining bodies, with a lower basin on one side and a taller round-arched section on the other. Four masks serve as spouts. Local tradition associates them with different social groups: a king, queen, worker who shod animals, and friar. A sundial by Franciscan friar and mathematician Nunzio Farina is visible on a nearby building.

Context and history

The fountain began as a trough outside the medieval town and was adapted for urban use. Its 1549 arch marks an early expansion; the taller section followed in the eighteenth century. Later repairs replaced the water pipes and altered one of the masks, and a restoration by the municipality and heritage authority was carried out in 1987. The fountain formed part of a water system serving the town and its wool production.