Pinocchio Fountain, Milan
The Pinocchio Fountain in Milan is dedicated to a boy from a fairy tale who used to be a wooden puppet. How long since you last read fairy tales? How long since you saw fairy tale characters? Milan is able to surprise. This time it surprises with a monumental fountain dedicated to the fairy tale read by several generations. When one sees the fountain he smiles as childhood reminiscences arise.
History of the fountain
Based on the famous book of Carlo Collodi, several statues were designed. Their author, the sculptor Attilio Fagioli, completed the work in 1955. The whole composition of figures was cast in bronze at the foundry of Fonderia Artistica Battaglia. The fountain was opened on the 19th of May, 1956. In 1989, several outlets were located in the pedestrian zone near it. Gradually, the area between the two lanes turned into a landfill. The fountain, of course, became an object of vandals' attention. Pinocchio's long nose was shortened, and a statue of a cat was stolen.
In 2004, a group of activists led by the granddaughter of the sculptor, set out to restore the fountain. Soon, their appeal was heard at the Ministry of Culture. In 2010, the entire pedestrian zone was renovated: trees were planted and outlets were removed. The fountain was also restored and reopened on the 18th of December, 2013.
Sculptural installation
The entire sculptural composition of the fountain is dedicated to the work "Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia d'un burattino." Perhaps everyone has heard of this fairy tale translated into 87 languages. Inside the circular base of the fountain, 3 metres in diameter, there is a three-levelled pedestal. Its total height, together with the statue, is 4.5 metres. Pinocchio, at the top tier, looks at a wooden puppet lying at the first tier. It is from this puppet that he turned into a boy.
A fox climbs from the first tier to the second one. On the opposite side of the pedestal, the cat used to stand until it was stolen. It was this couple, a limping fox and a blind cat, that advised a naive child to bury his coins.
At the third tier of the pedestal, a quote by the poet Antonio Negri is carved. It is related to the fairy tale. The translation opens up the idea of the sculptor: "How funny it was when I was a puppet! And you, those looking at me, are you sure that you have tamed the puppet that lives inside you?" Near the fountain, there is a small park popular among tourists and townspeople, especially lovers.
How to get there
The fountain is located in one of the central avenues of Milan, Corso Indipendenza, next to the ring street surrounding the city centre. At the end of the avenue a monument to the founder of the Franciscan Order overlooks two small but beautiful parks, Giardini and Vittorio Formentano. You can get there by bus (routes 54, 60, 61, 62, N6), getting off at C.so Indipendenza Via Bronzetti.
