Origins and historical function
Built between 1352 and 1360 at the request of the neighborhood's inhabitants, Fonte Serena was created to ensure water supply to the popular houses, at a time when nobles and the upper bourgeoisie had private wells and cisterns. The inconvenient access, with numerous steps, limited the use of the spring by people and animals, so much so that over the centuries it was bricked up and then reopened in the 1970s.
Devotion and popular tradition
The spring, blessed multiple times by bishops and priests, became a destination for those seeking healing or relief in their final days. The water from Fonte Serena was drunk by the sick in the hope of obtaining miraculous benefits, transforming the small hidden corner into a symbol of hope and protection.
The legend of the Wolf of Casato
The mysterious fame of Fonte Serena is enriched by the legend of the Wolf of Casato, a wealthy and distinguished man afflicted by lycanthropy. It is said that, on full moon nights, he would roam Via del Casato howling. On one of these nights, he encountered another werewolf in a challenge to drink from the spring first. In the morning, the steps appeared stained with blood, silent witnesses of the fierce duel. Even today, this story contributes to making Fonte Serena a place shrouded in an enigmatic and fascinating aura.
