Description
The Fontana delle Voci is the sculpture-fountain at the center of the gardens of Piazza Brin, in La Spezia's Umbertino district. The work of Mirko Basaldella, it is a mosaic totem seven and a half meters tall, worth the detour for its colors and unusual shapes.
From an octagonal basin rises the totem, hollowed out along its whole height by semicircular cavities that represent the voices of the sea. Stone, bronze, copper, brass, iron and concrete are entirely covered in mosaic tiles, which make the whole thing sparkle.
The sculptor from Udine made it in 1955, after finishing his work at the Fosse Ardeatine Mausoleum in Rome and before moving to the United States. At its unveiling in 1956 the people of La Spezia criticized it heavily; over time it has become an irreplaceable part of the city's most popular square. Restored in 2017, it is among the monuments listed by the FAI.
From an octagonal basin rises the totem, hollowed out along its whole height by semicircular cavities that represent the voices of the sea. Stone, bronze, copper, brass, iron and concrete are entirely covered in mosaic tiles, which make the whole thing sparkle.
The sculptor from Udine made it in 1955, after finishing his work at the Fosse Ardeatine Mausoleum in Rome and before moving to the United States. At its unveiling in 1956 the people of La Spezia criticized it heavily; over time it has become an irreplaceable part of the city's most popular square. Restored in 2017, it is among the monuments listed by the FAI.