Restoration of Contarini fountain in Bergamo kicks off, supported by two companies

The Contarini fountain in Bergamo will be restored. Placed in the central Piazza Vecchia, between the Palazzo della Ragione and the Palazzo Nuovo, this octagon in white Zandobbio marble, commissioned by Alvise Contarini, podestà of the Republic of Venice and donated to the citizens, will be completely cleaned from decay and the signs of time.

The project is a step in the path of enhancement of Italian cultural heritage put in place by the company Rigoni di Asiago, which, for six years now, supported by Fondaco Italia, has adopted it to communicate its brand. The choice of the intervention came about thanks to anonline vote last February in which more than 300,000 people took part in a last-vote challenge with the city of Genoa.

Bergamo is the sixth in a journey through Italy’s most beautiful cities, which has recovered some of Italy’s cultural heritage masterpieces: 2015 the restoration of the Atrio dei Gesuiti (the historic entrance to the Brera Palace in Milan), in 2016/2017, the restoration of the original statue of St. Theodore (the first Patron of Venice) in the Doge’s Palace, in 2018 the restoration of the fountain Venezia marries the sea in the courtyard of Palazzo Venezia in Rome, in 2019 the restoration of the rock church of San Giovanni in Monterrone in Matera, in 2020 the paintings of the lunettes on the east side and south corner of the Chiostro Grande of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

The Contarini Fountain

Made by an unknown author in 1780, the fountain, made of white marble from Zandobbio, was donated by Podestà Alvise Contarini to the townspeople both to beautify Piazza Vecchia and to provide water supply to the population in case of drought. But from Piazza Vecchia in 1885 the artifact was dismantled to make way for a statue of Garibaldi and was moved to Città Bassa. During 1858 the fountain underwent an almost complete makeover, which partially changed its characteristics. For thirty years it remained in the Lower Town, and only at the beginning of the 20th century was the fountain reassembled in its original position. The artifact consists of an octagonal base, on which rests the basin, from the center of which water flows out. The central core is surrounded by alternately arranged ornamental statues: two small sphinxes set against each other guard small basins that collect water. Flanking each of them are two small columns on which zoomorphic elements such as snakes are carved. On the remaining sides are four sculptures depicting the lion, the symbol of the Serenissima, which at that time imposed its authority over the city.

Restoration

The intervention will involve the restoration of the stone and metal elements of the fountain. In this regard, it is planned to work on the causes of degradation (which affect both the preservation of the monument but also its usability) by removing the effects that these causes have produced. In particular, the removal of the layer of limestone inside the basin will make it possible to verify the marble’s state of preservation and possibly intervene at the static level. All the detached parts will then be consolidated and the countless cracks will be grouted to stop the degradation process. Finally, a protective veil will be spread to protect the fountain from weather conditions. The work, carried out by Lares Restorations, can be followed live at www.skylinewebcams.com. http://skyline.li/fondacobg.

The statements “We are happy that the sixth stage of this journey in the name of enhancing the Italian Cultural Heritage is kicking off, a project that has given us great visibility and that has sent us many signals of appreciation in all the cities where we have operated,” says Andrea Rig oni President and CEO of Rigoni di Asiago. “And now we just have to follow the evolution of this restoration also through the webcam that will be active h24 and give us an appointment for late spring early summer for the inauguration. Art for the company has become an excellent communication tool that allows us to strengthen brand identity, reputation and corporate social responsibility pivotal elements for doing business seriously and concretely and offering products that respect the health of our customers.”

“Seeing the sixth stage of a journey like this for us, who may define ourselves as the architects of the project, is always a great satisfaction,” says Enrico Bressan President of Fondaco Italia, “when a company like Rigoni di Asiago manages to fully espouse our philosophy and make it its own, it is a unique feeling. It must be said that the attention to detail that Rigoni puts into every initiative undertaken in any field, is a symbol of a farsightedness and sensitivity that has no equal: in fact, this path related to cultural heritage continues, which well interprets the values of the company that has always paid great attention to the issues of such as sustainability, quality and well-being fundamental elements of our life. Each restoration that we tackle and conclude is a symbol of the strength of our country’s culture and of how collaboration and synergy between public, private and citizenship is the one and only way to keep intact this extraordinary heritage and everything that revolves around it.”

Restoration of Contarini fountain in Bergamo kicks off, supported by two companies

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