Acquapendente is located in a region with many natural springs and it is therefore natural that there are a number of fountains in the town. Originally, these were only used to water animals while the people themselves quenched their thirst with running water.
Fountains Acquapendente
The two places where the water was collected were called the Fonte del Rigombo and the Fonte delle Rugarelle.
Fonte del Rigombo
The name of the Fonte del Rigombo derives from the Latin recumbere, meaning “to rest,” since pilgrims and other travelers often spent several hours or days here. Later, the place was nicknamed Fonte dei Mascheroni, which was because the architect Guglielmo Meluzzi at one point had grotesque masks attached to the water spouts, along with a number of pilasters and plinths. The fountain can be viewed in Via XV Maggio.
Fonte della Rugarella
The Fonte della Rugarella is located in Via della Rugarella. The current, monumental appearance of this fountain, also called delle Sugarelle, is also the result of a late 19th century reconstruction by Meluzzi.