Metal Fountains

I'm in Italy (Cividale del Friuli) and there is a water fountain in the old downtown. When water flows into the pool a little beak there are 2 metal rods in the water. I think that is holding water vessels above the pool during the meet, but I can not find any evidence.

I know that the water here is an old Roman aqueduct (Poiana)

It may be so that if someone falls, they are captured by the metal rods and do not drown.

Must be good metal to have survived the Roman period. I wonder what he is doing?