Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a medieval water cistern below Onofrio’s Fountain in Dubrovnik. The facility is thought to date back to the 1300s, a century before the Old Town landmark built by Onofrio della Cava in 1438.
Renovated after the terrible earthquake of 1667, the 15th-century fountain is a popular tourist sight near the Pile Gate and a symbol of the city’s highly developed urban infrastructure. Della Cava designed and built a water supply system that brought drinking water from springs in Šumet to Dubrovnik 12 kilometres away.
The resultant fountain has carried the name of the Salernitano architect ever since. The pavement around it is currently being relandscaped, giving rise to the discovery 30 centimetres below ground. While there have long been written records of the previous public facility, this is the first physical evidence of its existence.