A few steps from the Valentino park there is a work of extraordinary beauty, the only testimony of the Universal Exhibition held in Turin in 1898, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Albertine Statute: the Fountain of the Twelve Months.
Designed by the architect Carlo Ceppi, is an example of the union of several architectural styles, in this case Liberty and Rococo. Gently following the profile of the land that slopes towards the Po, the Fountain of the Twelve Months consists of an enormous basin filled with water coming from a larger central waterfall and two smaller lateral ones.
The oval of the pelvis is enriched by four statue groups each representing the four waterways that bathe Turin: the Porepresented by Edoardo Rubino as a bearded man, the Sturathree female nudes reproduced by Luigi Conrati, then the Dorain the guise of a shepherdess created by Giacomo Cometti, and finally the Sangonea genius smiling at two lovers, statue by Cesare Reduzzi.
Among other things, a mystery is hidden around the statue depicting the Po: to a careful eye, his face could be very reminiscent of that of the famous philosopher and economist Karl Marx. Therefore, could the sculptor who created the statue have approached Marxist thought and consequently wanted to pay it a secret homage? Obviously there are no elements that can certainly confirm this hypothesis, but this is a further meaning that is added to all those of which this work is the spokesperson.
The contours of the parapet constituting the structure of the fountain are also decorated, at regular intervals, with a further twelve statues representing the twelve months of the year.
The aura that impalpably hangs over the fountain is also filled with magical and legendary meanings: it is said, in fact, that it arose in the place where Phaeton, son of Helios, God of the Sun, fell after taking possession of his father’s chariot and causing the horses to run amok. He wanted to show off his strength but was guilty of presumption, so much so that his inexperience gave rise to a mad rush that ended up destroying the vault of heaven. So Zeus, to prevent the situation from worsening further, hurled a bolt of lightning at the chariot which, as mentioned, fell into the river.
And it is precisely there that, centuries later, the Romans founded the city of Augusta Taurinorum. Therefore, the Fountain of the Twelve Months is a monument in which history and legend blend to give life to a timeless beauty, from which to be enchanted, again and again.
