Fontana del Sele

When water from the Apulian Aqueduct reached Foggia in March 1924, the city marked the occasion with the Fontana del Sele on Piazza Cavour. Intended as a temporary installation, the concrete fountain remained and became one of the city's symbols.

Why it matters

Foggia stands on a plain where reliable water supply had long constrained growth. The fountain was unveiled on 21 March 1924 to celebrate the arrival of aqueduct water and the opening of the city's section of the network. Engineer Cesare Brunetti of Ravenna designed it as a starfish in concrete. It was intended to be replaced by a more monumental fountain in bronze and marble, but the replacement never came.

What to notice

The star-shaped design radiates from a central basin. The fountain's name refers to the Sele, a river in the province of Avellino whose springs were among the sources feeding the aqueduct at the time. The monument stands on Piazza Cavour among the square's civic buildings and the Garibaldi monument. Brunetti also designed drinking fountains in Piazza XX Settembre.

Context and history

The inauguration became a national event: the Domenica del Corriere featured the arrival of water in Foggia on its cover, in an illustration by Achille Beltrame. Gaetano Postiglione, president of the Acquedotto Pugliese from 1923 to 1932, was associated with the modernisation of the region. The March date echoed the city's Madonna dei Sette Veli tradition, whose feast is tied to the apparition of 1731. The planned temporary fountain survived its intended replacement and was celebrated at its centenary in 2024.