Naples, Municipio square, Neptune’s Fontain
Date
Monday April 18th, 2016
DATA SHEET
AUTHORS:
Domenico Fontana, Pietro Bernini, Michelangelo Naccherino, Cosimo Fanzago
DATING:
First half of the XVII century
LOCATION:
Naples, Municipio square
CUSTOMER:
SUDMETRO scarl
WORKS MANAGEMENT:
eng. Filippo Cavuoto
MUNICIPIO SQUARE AND STATION PROJECT:
Arch. Alvaro Siza and arch. Eduardo Souto de Moura
HIGH SURVEILLANCE:
Superintendence for the State Museums of Naples – Dr. Annachiara Alabiso
Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Naples and Pompeii – Dr. Daniela Giampaola
Superintendence for Environmental, Architectural, Landscape, Historical, Artistic and demo-anthropological heritages Naples – Arch. Cosimo Tarì
THE PROBLEM
THE PROBLEM
The fountain of Neptune was built in the early seventeenth century, designed by Domenico Fontana and fulfilled by Michelangelo Naccherino and Pietro Bernini. In 1637, during the conveyance into Largo delle Corregge, Cosimo Fanzago was commissioned to decorate the fountain.
The fountain will remain in Medina street until 1889, when as a consequence of the work of rearrangement of the road, it has been removed and taken to a warehouse in Pizzofalcone, in Borsa square.
Many years later, it has been remounted in Borsa Square where remained until 1998, then it has been dismantled again in order to allow the work of building of University Station. In 2001 it was restored and temporarily reassembled, in Medina street.
Restored several times during the centuries, due to the frequent damages and transports that have occurred, by now its sculptures have irreversible damages.
Between April 2014 and February 2015, it has been disassembled from Medina street in order to be reassembled to Municipio square, at the center of the city plan of the square and the City Hall Station of Naples Metro, a project implemented by the Portuguese architects Alvaro Siza and Souto Edward De Mura.
THE METHOD
During this new preparation a very complex restoration has been needed .
The thick formation of carbonate crusts which have formed in just 13 years since the last renovation has resulted in a cleaning step which required more than 13,000 hours work.
Six hundred and fifty marble elements were disassembled, moved and reassembled in about 10 months of work.
The Fountain of Neptune was inaugurated on May 23, 2014 with the partial opening of the square and the Municipio metro station.
