After Garibaldi’s campaign and the unification of Italy, the symbols of the old kingdom were torn down, leaving the square empty for several decades, with only a lamppost placed at its center.
The sculptor from Caltanissetta, Michele Tripisciano - who lived in Rome but maintained a deep connection to his homeland - designed in 1890 a fountain whose centerpiece was to feature a sculptural group of Triton and a sea horse, similar to those he had created for the square of Marino near Rome.
However, the model remained for many years in the entrance hall of the Town Hall, and only after the Second World War was it cast in bronze and placed in the fountain specially built by the architect Averna, who oversaw the post-bombing restorations following the 1943 air raid.