Fontana Maggiore, Perugia

The Fontana Maggiore is the medieval centrepiece of Perugia, standing on Piazza IV Novembre between the cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Palazzo dei Priori. Built between 1275 and 1278 to celebrate the arrival of water from Monte Pacciano along a new aqueduct, it was carved by Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni, two of the founding sculptors of Italian Gothic art. The fountain is formed of two concentric polygonal marble basins crowned by a bronze bowl with three figures. What rewards a slow circle around it is the sculpture: the lower basin bears fifty reliefs in twenty-five panels showing the labours of the months with their zodiac signs, scenes of farming and falconry, the liberal arts, Aesop's fables and figures from Roman and biblical history, while the upper basin carries statues of saints, allegories and figures linked to the city's history. Because it sits on the busiest square in the old town, the fountain is best appreciated as part of a wider stroll, with most visitors lingering twenty to thirty minutes to walk around and read the carvings. The square is liveliest in the early evening, when locals and students gather on the cathedral steps and along Corso Vannucci for the passeggiata, and this is also when the stonework looks warmest. The fountain is an open public monument with no admission charge, accessible at any hour, though it is fenced for protection and sometimes screened during conservation work. It stands at the symbolic heart of Perugia, the capital of Umbria, within easy reach of the Galleria Nazionale and the Sala dei Notari.