La Spezia is a sea town. It has been built on the sea and thus its energy derives from the sea. That is why, the original European contest for the fountain was named the "FOUNTAIN of SAILS". The new fountain had to represent the SEA, connecting the two other two fountains of the town (Piazza Europa and Piazza Brin), in order to stress the importance of the city's maritime roots.

The Fountain of Sails of Piazza Garibaldi, was originally thought to be a natural source, a living spring of SEA water. The GENERATING water pours from the circle-shaped base, representing everything moving North: the main road.
The ideal path moves from the fountain and links the eastern part of the town (Piazza Europa) to the western one (Piazza Brin), making the monumental Piazza Garibaldi fountain the fulcrum of this axis. A sea path has been traced, eliminating the visual barrier which prevents La Spezia inhabitants from having a proactive relation with the sea.

The Viliano Tarabella's sculpture is hosted by the fountain round base. The sculpture abstractly represents two curved sails, which blow out of the water, finding a place between the earth and the sky to live a new life. The extremely white Carrara marble, water and lights in the base make the sculpture quiet and silent, reaching the perfect balance between warm and cold colours. The overall balance is interrupted only by the central water spurt.

The smooth ring of the base has been intentionally designed to allow people to have a closer relation with the fountain, transforming it into a waiting place. The coarse flooring surrounding the fountain, made by small white marble cubes, invites people to slow down and dialogue with the people sitting on the brink of the fountain.

This is the thought, laying at the basis of the Fountain of Dialogue, which evocates the sea, the generating energy, the perennial water spring and the heart of the new square.

The Fountain of Dialogue has been opened on the 3rd of August 2002

Taken from the TECHNICAL PROJECT REPORT
Architects: Cesarina Zanetti, Antonio Leone.