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Gioacchino Murat Fountain in Itri: Napoleonic Symbols Along the Appian Way
The Gioacchino Murat Fountain is located in Largo Armando Diaz, in the lower part of Itri, along the ancient Appian Way. Built around 1810 at the behest of Gioacchino Murat, the King of Naples, it is a stone monument that blends a public function with Masonic symbolism.
A pillar full of hidden messages
The structure is circular: two concentric basins made of locally quarried, squared and carved stone, with four spouts that feed water into the outer basin and a jet in the upper one. Of particular interest are the small octagonal columns surrounding the basaltic stone pillar, which once supported chains — a symbol of union and brotherhood. The eight-pointed star pavement and the carved mascarons point to Masonic iconography. The octagon, a recurring motif throughout the composition, is a symbolic figure representing balance and harmony, themes dear to the revolutionary culture of the time.
A gift from the king
Murat donated this fountain to the city during a period when he was reshaping infrastructure and public spaces across the Kingdom of Naples. More than a water source, it is a piece of 19th-century Napoleonic architecture and a place of memory, still standing intact, just a few steps from the Appian Way.
