Fontebranda, the fountain that speaks of Siena
Posted on 31. Mar, 2011 by admin in Archive, Culture, Itineraries
In Siena there are places that tell, literally, the past of the city and its medieval tradition. Thanks to the most modern technologies, in fact, another attraction is added to the many stages for tourists.
We are talking about Fontebranda, the most ancient and impressive fountain of Siena, quoted by Dante in the thirtieth canto of his Inferno (the Divine Comedy) and built in 1246. Fontebranda was essential not only because provided water to the city, but also because it enabled the functioning of the mills and gave work to tanners and dyers of clothes.
Tha fountain is famous also because here was grown Saint Catherine of Siena, the so-called Saint of Fontebranda. The fountain was built in travertine and the facade is decored with four stone lions. During the past, the first basin was good for drinking, the second was used for animals to drink from, the third was the washtub.
This destination is suggested also as a romantic location for tourists: often the couples come here at night to make a wish!
But Fontebranda is really a speaking fountain, because everyday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, if you walk under its vaults, thanks to a sound art installation you can hear the voices of Senese people from the medieval past. This is possible to a careful reconstruction of language and dialogues, now played by Senese actors.
An animated video, on a screen in front of the fountain, connects the characters to the famous fresco of Buongoverno by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. It is called “sound tourism” and is an original and interesting initiative: Siena is always on the cutting edge. If you want to know more, the municipailty of Siena did a sound dépliant, “Fontebranda, the fountain that speaks”, in Italian and English, that explains all in details and includes a Qr code with all the multimedia information: to see it you need a smartphone with Qr reader.
If you will go here, have a break and think to the life in the city at Dante’s times. The charme doesn’t stop to flow, just like the water.
