Fontana del Gigante
via Partenope
FamousViews & panoramas
The story
A seventeenth-century fountain by Pietro Bernini and Naccherino, moved again and again before settling on the seafront: marble and tritons facing the water, in the shadow of Castel dell'Ovo.
Access
FREE
The story
The Fontana del Gigante (Fountain of the Giant) is a monumental fountain of the early seventeenth century, the work of Pietro Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino, commissioned by the viceroy Duke of Alba. It owes its name to the colossal 'Giant', the statue beside which it originally stood. Over the centuries it has been moved several times, up to its present position on the seafront of via Partenope.
What to see
A three-arched front with coats of arms, river deities, caryatids and sea creatures, in fine marbles: a jewel of the late Neapolitan Renaissance, today facing the sea at the start of via Nazario Sauro.
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
The fountain is in the open, on the seafront of via Partenope: you see it freely during the seaside walk. To be combined with the Castel dell'Ovo and Borgo Marinari, which are right beside it.
Frequently asked questions
Who made the Fontana del Gigante?
Pietro Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino, at the start of the seventeenth century, commissioned by the viceroy Duke of Alba.
Why is it called the Fountain of the Giant?
From the colossal 'Giant', the statue beside which the fountain originally stood.
Where is the Fontana del Gigante today?
On the seafront of via Partenope, at the start of via Nazario Sauro, after various moves over the centuries.
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