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Piazza Matteotti in Marino: the Fountain of the Moors where wine flows once a year
The entrance to Marino is via Piazza Matteotti and its most famous centerpiece: the Fountain of the Moors (Fontana dei Mori). It was built in 1632 by citizens to celebrate the victory of Marcantonio II Colonna at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Designed by architect Sergio Venturi, its lava stone decorations are the work of local sculptor Pompeo Castiglia and stonemason Pietro Taccia. At the highest point of the square, a marble column with a Corinthian capital bears the Colonna coat of arms, around which four Turkish prisoners are sculpted, positioned on a rock held up by eight sirens.
A fountain that moved square
The fountain has not always stood here. During the bombings of the Second World War, a building collapsed onto it (in Piazza Lepanto), causing severe damage. In 1969, it was reconstructed by local sculptors and moved to its current position. This is the very fountain from which, on October 4, 1925, wine flowed instead of water for the first time during the Grape Festival. This tradition continues every year to this day.
Two medieval towers
Completing the square are two surviving towers of the medieval Frangipane Fortress. One is still clearly recognisable. The other has been incorporated into a cluster of houses, and is noticeable only if one knows exactly where to look.
