Renato Fucini's the Fountain of Pietrarsa Summary

The narrator is walking near the town of Pietrarsa when he runs into the municipal engineer. The two greet each other and the narrator teases the engineer about the fountain being built in Pietrarsa. Though all the plans for it have been laid out and the only work left to be done is physically installing it, the narrator bets the engineer that by the same time next year, not a single tile will have been laid. The engineer, believing the narrator to be a fool, happily accepts the bet.

When the narrator arrives in Pietrarsa, he discovers that the townspeople have gathered outside of the mayor's house, threatening him with spikes and whatever other objects they can find. They are angry that the fountain is going to be built so close to the...