Triton Fountain
On Gingerguide's self-guided Valletta audio tour, Triton Fountain is a stop worth about ~20 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type monument
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Valletta Valletta guide
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About Triton Fountain
Three straining bronze sea-gods hold up a giant basin just outside City Gate. Sculpted by Vincent Apap and unveiled in 1959, restored to full flow by 2018.
The Triton Fountain stands in the open square immediately outside Valletta's City Gate, beside the main bus terminus and on the boundary with Floriana. It was sculpted by the Maltese artist Vincent Apap, with structural engineering by Victor Anastasi, and was designed and built between 1952 and 1959, first inaugurated in 1959. Three bronze Tritons support a large circular basin about five metres in diameter and weighing roughly three tonnes, set on a reinforced-concrete base clad with around 730 tonnes of travertine from Rome.
In 1978 one Triton was damaged when an arm broke, and the fountain was repaired in 1986-1987 with an added central pillar. A major restoration between about 2016 and 2018, costing some four million euros, sent the bronze figures to a foundry in Florence; the fountain was re-inaugurated on 12 January 2018. During that work, conservators found traces of azurite-blue paint, evidence the Tritons were originally painted blue. It is a scheduled Grade 1 monument on Malta's National Inventory of Cultural Property.
Did you know? When conservators cleaned the Tritons during the 2016-2018 restoration, they found traces of azurite blue: the sea-gods were originally painted a deep blue, not left the bronze-brown colour visitors know today.
How much time do you need at Triton Fountain?
Around ~20 min works well for Triton Fountain — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Triton Fountain?
Yes — Triton Fountain made the cut as one of 14 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Valletta. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Valletta
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Triton Fountain and read more:
Day 2 of the Valletta in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Triton Fountain
Preview the Valletta tour free in the Gingerguide app.