Monumental Fountain Restoration
Copparo, Ferrara

The All Wars’ Fallen Monumental Fountain stands majestically in the centre of Piazza della Libertà and faces the Town Hall of Copparo (FE). It was built in 1933, on the occasion of constructing the Intermunicipal Consortium Aqueduct between Copparo, Formignana, Migliarino and Ostellato, and to celebrate the arrival of drinking water in the area. Designed by the architect Piero Toschi from Forlì, in collaboration with the sculptor Enzo Nenci from Ferrara, the current name derives from the fact that, after the war, a marble band was added to the monument with the names of the fallen from Copparo in the battles of the Risorgimento, in Africa, in Spain and World War II.
The restoration of the fountain is part of the“Rigenera Copparo 01” project, the first of four interventions, curated by Patrimonio Copparo s.r.l., aimed at improving the quality of the urban decor and the social and environmental fabric, as well as reducing phenomena of marginalization and degradation. Before the restoration, the fountain had been inactive for some years, although functional, due to a leak involving the underground storage tank in the square. Furthermore, the fountain did not have a recirculation system, used continuous flow water and did not have waterproofing, automatic loading and filtration system.
The fountain’s plant restoration project, curated by Forme d’Acqua Venice Fountains, has as its main objective the maintenance of the jet types and the conservation of the original aesthetic effect, of using a plant that improves energy and hydraulic efficiency, reducing the invasiveness of the intervention to a minimum.
The monumental fountain, made of marble Verde Imperiale and white Carrara marble, is an architectural work of great historical and artistic value. The overall height is approximately 8,30 m and geometrically it consists of a large round stone basin with a diameter of approximately 15 m with four perimeter "fan" jets, surmounted by a faceted central basin with commemorative inscriptions and 96 dynamic water jets, with a white pillar in the centre surrounded by four black marble buttresses engraved in bas-relief, which represent scenes such as Diana of War, the assault, the war song, the mutilated, the sacrifice, pity for the fallen, Diana of Victory and honour to Italy. Furthermore, the central basin bears on the front the stone coat of arms of the Municipality of Copparo, carved in bas-relief with a laurel wreath, a bunch of ears of corn and a cup.
The three water games have been restored as per the original model: in the largest basin, there are 4 single jets, which from the external perimeter fall onto the edge of the internal one, from where the central basin rises. These 4 nozzles have been recovered and restored, to fully preserve the aesthetics of the original fountain. Along the internal edge of the second basin, there is a crown in AISI 316L steel, where 96 dynamic nozzles chase each other, creating a lowered dome. This crown has been divided into 8 segments to give greater dynamism and spectacularity to the water games: it has a higher trajectory than the previous version, ending in the central basin tangent to the rostra. From the top of the central pillar in white Carrara marble the water overflows and is collected in the underlying basin created by the union of the upper parts of the four black marble pillars.
The restoration of the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Hydraulic) parts of the fountain involved the replacement and almost total implementation of the systems. This update introduced high-performance, low-energy consumption components, such as the illuminated dynamic crown with an average consumption of only 800W.
It was decided to use the pre-existing underground technical compartment to contain the pumps, while for everything else an aboveground technical compartment was created, so as not to alter the appearance of the work.
To make the intervention sustainable and safeguard water resources, a water filtration and recirculation system was created that allows the water to be reused, replenishing it only when needed. The filtration system consists of a Victoria Plus pump by Astralpool connected to an Aster Sand Filter glass grit filter by Astralpool, which moves and cleans the water from impurities and debris. At the same time, the automatic acidification and chlorination panel keeps the water clean and clear, preventing the formation of limescale and algae.
For the lighting, RGB+White Mini Perla Fontana lighting fixtures by Teclumen were chosen, which, thanks to the DMX protocol, allow for great attractiveness given the wide range of colours they can offer. In total, there are 24 LED spots: 4 for the central stele, 16 for the crown of nozzles (two lights for each segment) and another 4 for the respective nozzles of the large basin at the base.
To ensure the fountain's correct functioning over time, a flow meter connected to a level sensor has been installed. This system, integrated with the My Fountain app, sends an alert and automatically intervenes on the solenoid valve, closing it if the preset maximum daily water threshold is exceeded. In this way, direct and precise control of water consumption is ensured, allowing targeted and timely interventions in the event of anomalies, and avoiding water waste. My Fountain app provides a real-time overview of all aspects and parameters of the fountains, from the amount of water used to the lighting, from the anemometer to the operation of the filtration system. Thanks to the remote control, it is possible to easily customize the settings of the fountains, including the colours of the lights and the water shows.
 
Photo credits: Fotoclub il Torrione