In the heart of Arquà Petrarca, a few steps from the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, is the Fontana del Petrarca, an ancient stone structure that local tradition inextricably links to the figure of the great humanist. Despite its name, the fountain existed before Francesco Petrarch's arrival in the village, and it is believed that the poet used it daily to draw water.
The inscription and symbolic meaning
On the front of the fountain, made of Nanto stone, is carved an epigraph in Latin that reads:
"Fonti numen inest, hospes: venerare liquorem,
unde bibens cecinit digna Petrarcha deis."
The translation is:
"A deity dwells in this fountain, O stranger: venerate this water, drinking which Petrarch could sing divine verses."
These verses, attributed to the man of letters Giacomo Quarenghi, extol the sacredness of the spring, as if it were a divine inspiration for the poet, who would draw here the water capable of nourishing his art.
A place between history and legend
It is said that Petrarch himself had restoration work done on the fountain, aware of its importance to the village and his home. Although today the structure has undergone changes over the centuries, it remains one of the most evocative symbols of Arquà, a destination for visitors and literary enthusiasts who want to retrace the places dearest to the poet.
Still today, the fountain known as "Fountain of Petrarch" represents an evocative point of interest, immersed in the timeless atmosphere of Arquà Petrarch, where every corner tells a fragment of history and poetry.
