Vedovella

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Vedovella (Little Widow) drinking fountain
Piazza della Scala
Milan, November 2016

“In the municipality of Milan there are over 400 small drinking fountains originally installed in public gathering places such as flower and vegetable markets, public parks, churches and cemeteries. The cast iron fountains were cast by Fonderia Lamperti at the end of the 19th century from a design by Sir Richard Wallace, a wealthy English art collector and philanthropist who lived in France. The constant flow of water prevents the formation of bacteria. Run off water is channelled to the municipal water purifier and used in the cultivated fields surrounding the city. The fountains are maintained by Metropolitana Milanese to ensure the quality of the water. This company created a map identifying the location of all 418 small fountains with the hope that it would encourage their use and reduce the use of plastic water bottles. These drinking fountains are known as Vedovelle (Little Widows) in reference to the constant stream of water which resembles the tears of grieving widows.” (Vedovelle Fountains, Memorial Drinking Fountains)