Elizabeth Doub: A tour of the fountains of Viterbo

Viterbo is home to many beautiful fountains that are hard to miss when walking through the city. It used to be known as the land of 100 fountains. As beautiful as they are, there is also a lot of interesting history behind them. I went around the city to see for myself the lovely landmarks and did some research on them as well. The one I was most familiar with, and had seen many times before on my way to school or the café is the Fontana Grande (pictured), a huge, beautiful fountain in the center piazza it is named after. Fontana Grande began being built in 1206. It is a spindle-shaped fountain, also known as a “fuso” designed fountain, a common design for Viterbo’s fountains during the middle-ages, and it is one of the city’s most beautiful. Another fountain to visit is the Fountain of San Giovanni.  This one is another big, spindle-shaped fountain located in Zoccoli, with intricate carvings and sculptures.  A fountain that stood out to me because of its interesting history is the Fountain of Pianoscarano. This fountain was destroyed in 1376 during a revolt, but was rebuilt, and is now considered one of the most artistic fountains in the city. Next up is the fountain of San Faustino, in the piazza del San Faustino, and of course Fontana della Rocca (pictured). And, the last two on the list are the fountain in Piazza della Erbe, recognizable by its lion-head sculptures, and the fountain of Piazza della morte, also known as the “fountain of death”, one of the oldest fountains in Viterbo. Whichever direction you walk in the city of Viterbo,, you are sure to come across a few of these lovely fountains and as often as I have seen them, they still amaze me. Whether you are just visiting or staying a while, I recommend talking some time to visit the fountains, and to learn about them as well.

*HI, my name is Lizzie Doub and I study English literature at Goucher college in Maryland. Some things I enjoy are reading, camping, and cooking. My favorite foods to cook are frittatas and brownies.I also love traveling and exploring. Here’s a link to my Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lizzi.doub.

Ciao, mi chiamo Lizzie Doub e studio letteratura inglese al Goucher College nel Maryland. Alcune cose che mi piacciono sono la lettura, il campeggio e la cucina. I miei cibi preferiti da cucinare sono frittate e brownies. Mi piace anche viaggiare ed esplorare. Ecco un link al mio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizzi.doub.