Fontana di Cerere, Baroque fountain in Borgo-Sanzio district, Catania, Italy.

The Fontana di Cerere is a Baroque fountain made of Carrara marble with a statue of the goddess Ceres at its top holding a sickle. The structure features carved sea creatures, dolphins with water spouts, and four large shell-shaped basins that collect the cascading water.

The fountain was commissioned by the Catania Senate in 1757, sculpted by Palermo-born Giuseppe Orlando, and first stood in Piazza dell'Università facing the Palazzo dell'Università. It was intended to win divine favour during the famine that struck the Val di Noto from 1756. After persistent complaints, the Senate had it dismantled and moved to Piazza Cavour, the main square of the Borgo district built for refugees of the 1669 eruption.

The fountain depicts Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, a choice that reflected how important farming was to Sicilian life and identity. The goddess with her sickle was a public reminder of the prosperity that the land provided to the city.

The fountain stands in the middle of Piazza Cavour, known locally as Piazza Borgo, on Catania's Via Etnea. A paved cobblestone walkway with two low access ramps surrounds the basin, itself enclosed by a small lawn. The 20th-century vertical spray pipes fixed to the bottom of the large basin are conspicuous and in poor condition.

The marble base includes intricately carved masks with water spouts that seem to emerge from the stone like living faces. This detail makes the fountain a fine example of 18th century craftsmanship.