In the heart of Savignano Irpino’s historic center, the Angelica Fountain represents much more than a simple water source: it is a true identity symbol of the village, a living memory of a community that has lived in symbiosis with its territory for centuries. Built in 1912 to bring pure, fresh water from the Monte Sant’Angelo springs into the village, this fountain embodies the simple and functional beauty of early 20th-century engineering, but also the social value that water has always had in daily life.
The fountain was designed and built by Federico Castelluccio, a native of Monteleone di Puglia. Its elegant structure is characterized by its three swan-shaped cast-iron spouts, which popular irony affectionately dubbed “ducks,” thus giving rise to the appellation by which it is still known today: the Fountain of Ducks.
At the top, an epigraph carved in the stone recalls the solemn importance of the moment when the water began to flow: “THE ANGELIC WATER ONDE FOR ANCIENT VOTE DISSETECTED THE SAVIGNANESI INCOMINCI A SCORRERE IN THIS SOURCE AS LUSTRALE LINFE ON JULY 1, 1912”.
At a time when the village still lacked a modern water system, the Angelica Fountain represented a vital resource. Every morning, the women of the village went to the spring carrying jugs and vessels, often protected by a handkerchief placed between their heads and the weight of the water. The daily act of replenishing themselves with water was thus transformed into a collective ritual of waiting, meeting and exchanging words. For those who could not cope with the drudgery of transportation, there were the “aquaioli,” figures who have disappeared today but were once essential, offering their service in exchange for a few coins.
Today, the Angelica Fountain is one of the most beloved places for Savignanesi and visitors alike. With its restrained but recognizable style, set among the alleys and glimpses of the village, it continues to gush as it did then, a discreet witness to the collective memory and evolution of a town that has been able to guard its roots.