Scribo La Dotta Valverde Fountain Pen

The history of Bologna in the Middle Ages and Renaissance is full of significant events that helped shaping the city and its culture.

There are many architectural monuments that tell the rich history of Bologna from these historical periods: the towers of Bologna, the Valverde cistern, and the Neptune fountain are three important monuments in our city, located in different places but intertwined by some historical connections.

In the early Middle Ages, between the 11th and 13th centuries, dozens of towers were built in Bologna, reaching more than 100. Bologna, at that time, appeared as a veritable “selva turrita”, a wild turreted city, like a modern-day Manhattan, but older by almost a millennium.

The Valverde cistern, on the other hand, is a work of hydraulic engineering built in the 16th century. It was built to supply water to the city. The connection between the towers and the cistern, although indirect, is very significant. The towers, a symbol of wealth and power of the city, made the construction of the cistern possible, and this helped improving the lives of the citizens.

The Valverde cistern and the Neptune fountain, on the other hand, are linked by a more direct connection. The cistern collected water from the Valverde area, which was then used to feed the Neptune Fountain.

The Neptune Fountain is one of the most famous monuments in Bologna and it was built in the 16th century to celebrate the power of the city. The famous fountain has been given an affectionate and ironic nickname in the dialect of Bologna by the Bolognese people, “Al Zigant” (the Giant), and it is meant to emphasize its size and impact on the city. This nickname is due to the large size of the statue, which is 3.2 meters tall and weighs 28 tons.

LA DOTTA Turrita, Valverde and Al Zigant are thus a tribute to the history of our city and some of its most significant monuments from the medieval/renaissance ages.