2 – THE GIANT FOUNTAIN (ENG)

The Giant Fountain is a monumental fountain in Carrara, located in Piazza del Duomo. It was erected in 1563-1564 featuring a statue sketched by Baccio Bandinelli around thirty years earlier. The work depicts Andrea Doria in the guise of the god Neptune. Commissioned to celebrate the great Genoese admiral, the statue remained incomplete due to disputes between the sculptor and the patrons. Amid delays, unpaid fees, and retaliations, the statue was never finished and was left in Carrara. In 1563, Alberico I repurposed it to create a fountain, thus adorning Duomo Square.

The fountain is commonly referred to as the “Giant” due to its oversized scale compared to the standards of the time (the first “giant” being Michelangelo’s David). Today, the statue rests atop two dolphins with spouts of spring water pouring into a marble basin.