The Amenano fountain is one of the most important attactions in Catania and the only fountain with water “a linzolu”. The fountain which is in front of the Cathedral of Catania was built in 1867 by the neapolitan Tito Angelini. The name of the fountain derives from the river which flows under the city. In the greek mythology the fountain is represented by a young man holding in his arms a cornucopia from which water flows. The people of Catania call it a water fountain “a linzolu”, because water seeem a draped sheet. People are attracted by the decoractions which echoes the canons of the Baroque , although it was made in the mid-nineteenth century. The structure of the fountain has been studied with great care and it fits harmoniously into the Piazza del Duomo as a whole. Behind the marple statue a lava stone staircases leads to the Pescheria which is the ancient city market.
Not far from the Amenano fountain, visitors are attracted by the wonderful Fountain of the Rape of Proserpina. It dates back to 1867 by the sculptor Giulio Moschetti with the task of embellishing the large area before the central station of Catania. In the fountain is sculptured the mythological scene of the Rape of Proserpina, undoubtedly linked to the ancient history of Sicily. According to the Greek myth, the goddess Proserpina, daughter of Demeter, was kidnapped by Hades near Enna. The latter had forced her to marry him and to reign together in the underworld. Given the constant prayers of Proserpina’s mother, Hades had granted his wife the opportunity to get away from the underworld for a very specific annual period, the one that went from spring to summer, and then return punctually underground next to him. It is the symbol of the aeternal and neverending love.
Near Piazza Cutelli there is the ancient Fountain of the Shells. Its name is due to four shells on the circular basin and is surmounted by an obelisk. It was built in 1950s and a curiosity concerns this fountain. According to the Sicilian tradition, the figure of the shells is connected to the design of the Spiral, a mystical expression to indicate the life that is born.
Finally, but not less important there is the Fountain of the Malavoglia, from the novel of the sicilian Giovanni Verga. It is located in Piazza Verga and it immortalizes an episode of the Malavoglia of Verga: the shipwreck of Providence.Its construction lasted 19 years and was inaugurated in 1975.
Nobody can imagine how beautiful is the city of Catania with its culture and traditions. So come and see it!
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