Genova Fountain

Placed on the Plaza de la Constitucion, it is also known as the Fountain of king Charles V. It is a magnificent 16th-century Italian piece.

Its base is decorated with aquatic elements, nymphs, dolphins and also children. The basin has twelve sides decorated with grooves, a two-body stem rising in the middle. In the first section three sirens are holding crowns of flowers with their tails intertwined. In the upper section three naked nymphs are swimming with dolphins. Next is a second basin with figureheads pouring water. The entire ensemble is topped by a smaller basin with yet another stem decorated with half child - half dolphin figures and crowned by an eagle with its wings spread.

Legend has it…

But how did this fountain come to Malaga? According to one legend, the fountain was commissioned by the Spanish Emperor Charles V to Genovese masons. On its way to Spain, the vessel that transported it was captured by the pirate Redbeard. But a knight called Don Bernardino de Mendoza saved it and brought it to Malaga.

Another legend says that the fountain was the booty of Don Juan de Austria during the Battle of Lepanto. Whatever the true story behind the fountain is, a series of documents have actually revealed that the fountain cost the town council of Malaga 1,000 ducats!