Italian Small Model Fountains

Location: North West Italy

In northern Italy the area around Milan hosts several drinking fountains manufactured by the Val D’Osne Foundry; the city of Bergamo to the north east of Milan; Stresa, a resort town on Lake Maggiore and Novara, known for its churches and historic buildings, are both north west of Milan.

When the Franco Prussian war damaged many of the aqueducts in Paris there remained little access to clean water for many of the most needy Parisians. A wealthy English art collector and philanthropist living in France, Sir Richard Wallace, felt that the solution to the problem was the erection of public drinking fountains.

This particular design known as the Small Model is often found in parks and public gardens. The fountain is a single pedestal with a square base decorated with bulrushes. Alternating panels displayed bulrushes and the coat of arms of the city. The capital supports a decorative finial. The design at just over 4 feet high is operated with a simple push-button mechanism to dispense water.

Bergamo, Italy. Creative Commons License, Elliott Brown. Source: Upper City – Bergamo – Largo Colle Aperto – drinking fount… | Flickr

Stresa, Italy. Creative Commons License, Elliott Brown. Source: Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, Stresa – Navigazione Lago Maggio… | Flickr

Novara, Italy