The Rediscovery and Restoration of the Enchanted Fountain's Lions in Naples

The two lions, decorative elements of the Enchanted Fountain, have been found after forty years in the dungeons of the Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino). Their identification in recent months was made possible through the teamwork between the Urban Furnishings and Sustainable Mobility Service, the Art and Cultural Heritage Service, and the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Municipality of Naples. With the restoration works of the Enchanted Fountain, in fact, a bibliographic and archival research operation was also initiated, during which inspections were carried out in the municipal deposits. Thanks to the documentary material, it was therefore possible to state that the large fragments found at Castel Nuovo, whose attribution was uncertain, were indeed parts of the ancient lions. Today, the statues have been transferred to the laboratory for complete restoration and placement in their original location. Meanwhile, work by the ABC for the fountain's systems installation is already underway in Piazza Salvatore di Giacomo. "We have been carrying out the restoration of the city's fountains for months, not only for their functional and decorative aspect – emphasized Mayor Gaetano Manfredi – Almost always, they represent significant testimonies of urban history, and we believe that fountains should be recovered, when possible, to their former state. In the case of the Enchanted Fountain, we will soon be able to admire it as it could only be seen in some photos from half a century ago." "Along the coast, the Fountain of the Giant in Via Partenope, the Fountain of the Mermaid in Piazza Sannazzaro, and the Fountain of Sebeto in Largo Sermoneta have already been restored; – recalled the Infrastructure Councilor Edoardo Cosenza – in the case of the Enchanted Fountain, the restoration is completed with the recovery of the lions that had been 'forgotten' for years. I thank the architect Valeria Palazzo, head of the Urban Furnishings Service, and all those who are working on this intervention, which will allow us to restore the fountain's artistic integrity." The Enchanted Fountain, designed by Giovanni da Nola at the behest of Viceroy Pedro de Toledo in the 16th century, was initially located in Piazza dell'Olmo, later becoming Piazza del Porto or Mercato di Porto, situated halfway between the current Piazza Bovio and Piazza Municipio, or in the current Via Alcide de Gasperi. During the tumults of Masaniello, it was severely damaged and repaired several times over the course of the 18th century, until in 1834, the architect Pietro Bianchi (the author of the basilica of San Francesco di Paola) completely rebuilt it. The fountain, during the period of the Risanamento, was then dismantled from its original position and relocated to Piazza Salvatore di Giacomo at the beginning of the 20th century. It is called "of the Enchantments" because a legend tells that a powerful witch of the city used the water of that fountain for her "enchantments"; but it is also called della Coccovèja because in the 16th century, when the viceroy's coat of arms was sculpted at the top of the fountain, the people thought its silhouette was identical to that of an owl, which in Latin is translated as "cocovaja".