The centrepiece of Piazza IV Novembre, the delicate pink-and-white marble Fontana Maggiore was designed by Fra Bevignate and built by father-and-son team Nicola and Giovanni Pisano between 1275 and 1278. Some 50 bas-reliefs and 24 statues grace the two-tier polygonal basin, representing scenes from the Old Testament, the founding of Rome, the seven 'liberal arts', the signs of the zodiac, a griffin and a lion.
The griffin is the symbol of Perugia and the lion that of the Guelphs, the medieval faction that supported the pope against the Holy Roman Empire.