Fontana delle 99 Cannelle
Located in the area of Rivera, one of the oldest of the old town, the Fountain consists of 93 stone masks and six individual taps. According to tradition, the ninety-nine spouts represent the castles, in the thirteenth century, took part in the founding of L'Aquila. It was probably built by architect Tancredi da Pentima, in 1272. What is certain is that the area now known as the Rivera, corresponding to an old castle called Acquili, from which the name of the city was at the time of foundation a strategic area as regards the abundance of water. It dates back to the fifteenth century wall cladding, with the use of white and pink stone typical checkerboard composition and the city coat of arms. A trapezoidal plant, originally consisted of an elaborate symbolic-astrological system. It is on three fronts: made up of five tanks, placed on different levels and slightly offset from each other, the highest of which is fed water through special masks. This was specifically designed to allow the washing of linen that happened every day until the early twentieth century. The masks are all different from each other, interspersed with rectangular panels.
