Fontana dei do' castradi

On the top of the column there is a statue depicting a girl kneeling and a snake: it is a bronze copy of a stucco by Andrea Malfatti. The fountain, designed by engineer Saverio Tamanini, was built in 1867 by the sculptor Stefano Varner. In the past the fountain used to be called “osteria dei do’castradi” (in English “osteria” is like a pub), as if to allude ironically to the fact that the water was abundantly and freely given to anyone. Originally located in the place where today there is the monument of Alessandro Vittoria (in the homonyms square), nowadays the fountain decorates Piazza delle Erbe, one of the most peculiar and traditional squares of the city, which has been hosting a market for ages (a document from 1288 mentions the square as a place where the cheese was sold).