MANN, the ancient fountains will gush again

The three fountains of the MANN, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, which have stood in the eastern garden of the then Royal Bourbon Museum since the 1820s, will once again gush thanks to the patronage of the Acqua Campania company, which will use the Art Bonus to support their restoration and reopening.

Composed of marble elements from Roman-era basins, the fountains had been dry for many decades. At the centre of the Garden that takes its name from them, a small open-air museum among the Washingtonia palms and the greenery, the most famous is the red porphyry basin, called Gran Tazza Farnese (2nd century AD, between the age of Trajan and that of Hadrian).

"We welcome MANN to Acqua Campania, thanking its management for its social sensitivity, attention to the territory and its history – announces the director Paolo Giulierini – this is the ideal model of patronage that we are working on with the fundamental contribution of the Advisory Board, chaired by Mirella Barracco. More than a simple restoration, this project takes on a highly strategic value for all of us in a horizon that will see the Museum open with an atrium and gardens free of charge to the city, a green heart gushing with water for the neighborhood".

Franco Cristini, CEO of Acqua Campania, the concessionaire of the Region, speaks of 'water as a 'cultural asset'. “The decision to support this intervention responds to the desire to represent, also through symbolic operations, the centrality of the themes of preservation, conservation and efficient management of water resources in an era marked by its scarcity and the need to rethink the models of governance of the water service, especially in the South. In this way, we intend to continue to concretely support the movement of rebirth and relaunch of the cultural offering of the city and the Region, promoting the social function of the Acqua Campania enterprise".

For Barracco ”past and present, research and entrepreneurship are linked thanks to a virtuous network in the name of culture“. The work will begin in spring, coordinated by restorers, architects, archaeologists and museologists of the MANN.

The materials will be characterized by chemical inertia, compatibility with the original elements and low environmental impact, confirming the green vocation of the MANN.