The Fontana Fraterna is a monumental public fountain in Isernia, characterized by six water jets and a loggia-like structure made of compact limestone blocks of various origins. The architecture of the fountain consists of three overlapping bands: the lower one has smooth slabs, including a Roman inscription and a bas-relief with dolphins and a flower. The middle band consists of six round arches supported by small columns of different shapes, while the upper band shows twelve small hanging arches decorated with zoomorphic, phytomorphic, and geometric motifs.
At the bottom of the fountain are Roman-era blocks with decorations and funerary inscriptions. On the right side an early medieval epigraph between two lion protomes refers to the construction of a fountain. Analysis of the surfaces confirms that the blocks come from different buildings and were worked in different eras, making the fountain an important historical and artistic record.
The present Fraterna Fountain was built in 1835 in Largo Concezione, assembling elements of two pre-existing fountains: one with five jets near the Cathedral and another with three jets, already present in the same largo and damaged in the 1805 earthquake. From one of the two fountains comes the enigmatic Rampiniani epigraph, embedded in the fountain, which bears an inscription and a coat of arms with a hooked cross, possibly belonging to the Rampino family.
Roman inscriptions visible in the fountain were already documented in the 19th century. Mommsen, in 1844, observed the epigraph AE PONT in the Conception fountain, confirming its provenance from the market fountain. The fountain underwent several relocations and remodeling: in 1889 it was moved to Marcelli Street and in 1943, destroyed by a bombing, it was rebuilt after the war reusing the original pieces.
Archival documentation testifies that the fountain was initially called the “Fountain of the Conception” or “Faterna,” while the term “Fraternal Fountain” appears only in the 20th century. The fountain, listed among the most beautiful in Italy by the Treccani Encyclopedia, is a historical, artistic and cultural symbol of the city of Isernia.