Fontana Biondi

The Fontana Biondi stands on Cisterna di Latina's Piazza 19 Marzo. Created by Ernesto Biondi between 1885 and 1890, the fountain depicts a standing female figure above a chained personification of malaria.

Why it matters

The municipality identifies the fountain as a symbol of Cisterna di Latina. Its sculptural group has been interpreted as an allegory of the victory of land reclamation over marsh and disease. The female figure is often identified as Feronia, an Italic goddess associated with springs and woods, though the identification is presented as probable rather than certain.

What to notice

The composition rises from a rocky base made of granite blocks and stalactites brought from Trentino. The marble figure, about 210 centimetres tall, lifts an olive branch while placing one foot on the chained figure below. Shepherds and livestock surround the circular basin, completing the rural scene. The statue's head was severed in wartime bombing and later repaired; the restored join remains part of the monument's history.

Context and history

Biondi created the fountain in the years before the major reclamation works of the 1930s. Its image of a goddess overcoming malaria was later embraced as a symbol of the transformation of the Pontine plain. The fountain shares the town's central square with Palazzo Caetani and the collegiate church.