In continuation of the first part of our post The most interesting fountains of Rome, today Blogoitaliano will focus on those of them that especially deserve your attention. The best four fountains in our version, selected from more than 200 applicants. However, some of them should be familiar to you.
... When Pope Innocent X saw the layout of this Fountain, the pontiff was so fired up by the fast construction that due to lack of money for putting it into practice he lifted a tax on bread in Rome. It is clear that at one time this caused a very mixed attitude among the Romans towards the fountain.
Number 4. Four Rivers Fountain
Made in the Baroque style, the Fountain of the Four Rivers is the creation of the famous architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, whose hand is credited with almost half of all the more or less significant buildings and monuments in Rome. Originally Four Rivers Fountain It was conceived as an addition to the Egyptian obelisk brought from Alexandria and installed on Piazza Navona in a sign of the victory of paganism over Catholicism.
To build the fountain of the Four Rivers, in Rome had to raise the tax on bread
In the very center of the Fountain, harmoniously blending into the overall composition, a 16-meter obelisk rises from a rocky reef. Sculptures representing the four main rivers from each of the four continents are placed on the sides of it in the form of naked male figures.
Europe is represented by the Danube, Asia by the Ganges, America by La Plata and Africa by the Nile. Each of the sculptures is surrounded by elements of flora and fauna, designed to complement the flavor of its continent.
Number 3. Triton Fountain
Another architectural masterpiece of Bernini, which since 1643 adorns the Piazza Barberini. The statue of the son of the god of the sea of Poseidon - Triton - a half-half-human half-fish is installed on the wings of the shell, which rests on the tails of four dolphins. For almost four hundred years, Triton tirelessly fills the bowl of the fountain, blowing a stream of water from a sea shell.
Triton Fountain decorates Piazza Barberini
Between dolphins, the architect depicted a tiara and paradise keys - attributes of papal authority, as well as a coat of arms with bees, which is the heraldic symbol of the Barberini clan. The head of the clan - Pope Urban VIII was a famous connoisseur of art and often took under his guardianship young and talented Italian artists and sculptors. The coat of arms of the Barberini family can be seen in other works of Bernini - Fontane Bees and Fontana Moor. So the great master expressed his respect for the pontiff.
No. 2. Aqua Paola Fountain
The fountain Aqua Paola with arches and columns made in the Baroque style is somewhat reminiscent of a church with the only difference being that water runs out of its three arches with powerful streams, and in front of the facade there is a huge marble bowl with crystal clear water.
Many take the Aqua Paola Fountain from the side.
Aqua Paola Fountain was built in 1612 by architects Giovanni Fontana and Flaminico Ponzo commissioned by Pope Paul V Borghese. The pontiff decided to restore the ancient aqueduct, which since the time of Emperor Trajan has provided the townspeople with drinking water. Residents of the city liked the magnificent fountain so much that they decided to name it in honor of the Pope: Aqua Paola means nothing but the water of Paul.
This Fountain is so popular among the Romans that in our days - despite the prohibitions of the authorities - you can often see young Italians splashing in its water.
No. 1. Trevi Fountain
Made in the Baroque style according to the sketches of the already familiar Lorenzo Bernini in 1762, the Trevi Fountain, like a magnet, attracts tourists. This is perhaps the most famous fountain in Rome, and its water is also considered the cleanest: it still enters the fountain from the source of Aqua Vergine, the road to which is back in the 1st century BC. Roman soldiers showed a young girl.
About 700 thousand Euros are caught annually from the Trevi Fountain
Located in a small square in the center of Rome, Trevi Fountain at the same time it is part of the facade of the Palazzo Poli, which gives it special greatness. The marble sculptural composition is especially beautiful at night, when the soft, streaming light from the water emphasizes the splendor of the grottoes, mythical creatures and Neptune himself, carried away by winged horses to the depths of the sea.
According to popular belief, to return to Rome, you should definitely throw a coin in the fountain. Yes, not just like that, standing with his back and right hand over his left shoulder. The fact that the Trevi Fountain is popular among tourists is already evidenced by the fact that the total amount of coins that the utilities collect from here annually reaches sometimes 700 thousand euros.
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