Frejus Fountain, Turin
The Frejus Fountain (La fontana al Traforo del Frejus) in Turin is a very interesting artwork. Over the years, it has acquired a double meaning. It is also called the Memorial of Frejus Tunnel. The monumental fountain is located in the center of Turin, and many tourist tours start here.
History of the fountain
The fountain was built in 1879. The idea belonged to the Earl Marcello Panissera di Veglio who was the president of the Accademia Albertina in Turin. Throughout the years of its existence, it has not changed much. During World War II, the monument was damaged. In 2013, it was restored and a five-pointed star on top was removed. The memorial is dedicated to the construction of the Frejus tunnel which was the first railway tunnel that went through the Alps. It connected Italy and France.
Initially, it was planned to finish construction in 25 years but thanks to the new technologies and the invention of dynamite, they managed to do it earlier. The tunnel was completed in 1871, 14 years after the works started.
Architectural composition
The fountain looks like a pile of large stones. So it is but stones extracted from the tunnel during construction were used for its creation. They are put in such a way that they form a pyramid and the water flows down the artwork. At the top of the pyramid, there is a winged Genius that in ancient Roman mythology was considered to be a kind of analog of the now more famous image of a guardian angel. He is holding a feather in one hand with which he carved the names of the engineers, the creators of the tunnel, on the stone plaque below.
Titans are set on the stones under the Angel who defeated them. As planned by the creator of the fountain, it was supposed to be a symbol of the victory of man over the forces of nature – such an allegorical illustration of a grand tunnel. Well, it is really well thought out. Officially, the fountain is dedicated to all who worked on the creation of the tunnel.
Legends
However, throughout the years, the fountain has obtained a second meaning. Many consider it a memorial to the workers who died during the construction of the tunnel – 48 people. According to this, the Titans symbolize the hard work and suffering of the builders. Many locals do not see the Angel at the top of the monument, but Lucifer himself, and believe that there is a gate to the netherworld under the fountain. Also 45th parallel of the north latitude goes through the monument, it is equidistant from the equator and the North Pole. Fans of esotericism believe that the tops of the triangles of black and white magic come in contact here. True or not, merchants eagerly use this fact, having set a number of shops with themed goods nearby.
How to get
The fountain is located on Piazza Statuto, in the administrative center of Turin. All the main attractions of the capital of Piedmont are located east from here. You can get here by trams № 10, 13, and by buses № 13N, 29, 36, 46, 49, 56, 59, 71, 72, 94, 101. You need to get off at the Statuto stop. The subway station XVIII Dicembre is 5 minutes away from the fountain.
