Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà
Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Gallipoli. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type ruins
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Gallipoli Gallipoli guide
About Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà
The Renaissance fountain of Gallipoli, the elaborately carved 16th-century Fontana Greca, one of the most celebrated fountains in southern Italy, and the adjacent baroque church of Santa Maria della Pietà, two monuments of the city's old town.
The Fontana Greca (Greek Fountain) of Gallipoli is one of the most remarkable monuments in the city, an elaborately carved Renaissance fountain dating from the 16th century, long popularly believed to be of ancient Greek origin (hence its name), though scholarly study now attributes it to the Renaissance. The fountain's facade is decorated with three relief panels depicting mythological metamorphoses, Dirce, Salmacis, and Byblis, each transformed into a fountain or spring in classical myth. The structure was relocated within the city in the 16th century and again given decorative additions in the 18th century. Adjacent to it is the baroque church of Santa Maria della Pietà, built in the 17th century.
Did you know? Despite its name, the Fontana Greca ('Greek Fountain') is not actually an ancient Greek monument, long believed to date from the 3rd century BC, it was reattributed by scholars to the 16th-century Renaissance, when classicising taste made antique-looking monuments fashionable.
How long is a visit to Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà worth your time?
Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà is among the 12 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Gallipoli, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Gallipoli
Hear the story of Fontana Greca & Santa Maria della Pietà
Preview the Gallipoli tour free in the Gingerguide app.