An ancient fountain that tells of the village's water
A short walk from the main church, the Fonte Le Tre Cannelle is one of the little treasures of Santa Maria del Molise: a fountain built of squared stone masonry, with an arched top, fed by one of the town's springs. The water flows from spouts set into carved panels, an ancient gesture that has accompanied the life of the community for centuries and bears witness to its soul, tied to the springs.
Roman memory: the Nymph and the god Fontus
The fountain, built in recent times, nevertheless holds a far more ancient heritage: it was made by reusing elements recovered from an old, now ruined Roman spring. On the carved panels the original figures can still be recognised — on the left the Nymph, on the right the deity Fontus and, in the centre, a water-lily flower.
It is not a random detail: the Romans dedicated springs to the nymphs, depicting them alongside male deities such as Fontus, Hermes or Pan and with water-lily flowers, an aquatic plant. A festival was even dedicated to them, the Fontinalia, the celebration of the springs held in October. These stones, therefore, make the Tre Cannelle a small bridge between the village's present and its remote water cults.
The Fontinalia: the ancient Roman festival of the springs, celebrated in October in honour of the water nymphs.
The wash-house at the back
At the back of the fountain, the old wash-house has been restored, covered by a pitched wooden structure with a roof of terracotta tiles. Inside, two stone basins recall the times when clothes were washed here, while two openings on each side let the light filter through; the masonry is exposed stone inside and plastered outside. A simple, authentic place, today in good condition, that tells of everyday life in times past.