The definitive solution to the city’s water supply problem came with the construction of the aqueduct by the General Provveditore Francesco Morosini. This carried water from the foothills of Mount Juktas, some 15.5 kilometres away, to the grand fountain erected in 1628 in the Piazza delle Biade (Grain Market Square), in front of the Ducal Palace. The aqueduct’s primary source lies at the site of Pelekita or Grammata. Along its course, the aqueduct passed over three aqueduct bridges at Karydaki at Archanes, Sylamos, and Fortezza. It entered the city through the Gate of Jesus and the Vitturi bastion, ran along the eastern side of the Mars Square (today’s Eleftherias Square) behind the Porta di San Giorgio, and then turned along the northern side, crossing a triple-arched bridge—the famous “Treis Kamares”—before reaching the central square following the parapet of the old Venetian walls along Daedalou Street. From the Gate Voltone, a lead pipe carried water directly to the fountain.

The magnificent fountain was inaugurated with a grand ceremony on 15 April 1628, the feast day of Saint Mark, patron saint of Venice. The fountain’s principal theme was the marine realm. Dominating the central basin supported by four lions was the colossal figure of Neptune, the famed Gigante, standing upon a dolphin. The eight-lobed outer basin was adorned with relief scenes of a marine retinue—nymphs, tritons, dolphins, hippocamps, and sea demons. The sculptural ensemble was the work of the sculptor Thomas Benetto (or Frabenetto) from Rethymnon and his brothers.

In 1847, the Ottomans erected a tall superstructure over the fountain, inscribed “Fountain of Abdul Mejid”, converting it into a charitable fountain (sebil). Following the city’s liberation, the superstructure was removed, and the fountain was restored. The statue of Neptune with the dolphin, however, which had been lost at an unknown date, was not replaced.