The water system and the fountain were built by the Neapolitan engineer Onofrio della Cava. The fountain was originally richly decorated, but it was badly damaged in the great earthquake of 1667. What survives is a sixteen-sided basin under a low dome, with water still pouring from sixteen carved stone masks.
The water is drinkable, and on hot days visitors and locals fill their bottles here. A smaller fountain built by the same engineer, Little Onofrio's Fountain, stands at the other end of the Stradun near Luža Square.
The fountain sits between Pile Gate, the Franciscan Monastery and the Church of St Saviour, so it is usually the first stop and a handy meeting point on a walk through the Old Town.
