Fountains are a common feature of many cities, but Italy has a handful of unusually notable ones. There’s also one in England that, arguably, reflects the cultural differences between the two countries.
Earlier versions of the descriptions of these fountains first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You Must See Before You Die, edited by Richard Cavendish (2016). Writers’ names appear in parentheses.
Fontana di Trevi
Standing 85 feet (26 meters) high and 65 feet (20 meters) wide, the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) dominates the small Palazzo Poli in Rome’s Trevi district. The white marble fountain is a fine example of the Baroque style, its dramatic form set against a backdrop of the facade of the Palazzo Poli. The water feeding the fountain comes from the Salone Springs, 13.5 miles (22 km) from Rome and carried by the Aqua Virgo aquaduct, built in 19 BCE.
The idea to build the fountain emerged in 1629. Pope Urban VIII commissioned sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini to come up with some designs. Bernini chose the location in the square opposite what was then the papal residence and is now the official residence of the Italian president. However, the project was abandoned after the pope’s death in 1644. The fountain that was eventually built was designed by Roman architect Nicola Salvi when Pope Clement XII resurrected the idea. Salvi entered a competition organized in 1730 by the pope to design the fountain but lost out to rival Florentine architect Alessandro Galilei. However, Salvi was given the commission in response to public demand that a local man design the project. Work began in 1732 and was completed in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini after the deaths of both Salvi and the pope.
A statue of Neptune, god of the sea, stands in the fountain’s central niche. He is shown driving a shell chariot drawn by sea horses. In the niches on either side stand statues of Abundance and Salubrity. Above the statues lie bas-reliefs depicting the history of Rome’s aqueducts. Throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain is a popular custom based on traditional legend. One coin thrown over the shoulder ensures a return visit to Rome; a second coin allows the visitor to make a wish. (Carol King)
Fontana Maggiore
This lovely fountain stands in the main piazza of Perugia, which has been the center point of the city since Etruscan times. Perched on a hill, Perugia was easily defended, but the supply of water to the city was a problem for many years. The Fontana Maggiore was built to celebrate the aqueduct that brought water from the mountain springs of Paciano, 5 miles (8 km) from the city, and to provide a place for the water to be collected. The fountain consists of three parts: a foundational basin topped by a smaller basin, both polygonal and made of white and pink stone. These are surmounted by a bronze bowl holding three bronze statues.
Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni sculpted the fountain, embellishing the bottom basin with 50 marble reliefs set in 25 field plains, each of these forming a diptych. The diptychs portray Old Testament stories, scenes of political and moral history, the labors of the months, and images of the seven liberal arts; it finishes with the artists’ signature diptych—two panels with two eagles, the symbol of the city of Pisa. The panels on the middle basin are plain, but at each connecting angle there is a small statue depicting biblical, symbolic, mythical, and historical figures. The fountain is a monument to the history of humankind, a testament to the necessity of water, and a celebration of its provision. (Robin Elam Musumeci)
Fountain of the Four Rivers
Situated in the center of the Piazza Navona—one of Rome’s most picturesque and famous squares—the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) is a masterpiece of the preeminent Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Piazza Navona is also the supposed site of the martyrdom of St. Agnes—the fountain is opposite the Baroque basilica church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. The fountain was built for Pope Innocent X, who was Bernini’s patron as well as a member of a powerful family.
The sculptures on the Fountain of the Four Rivers represent the four great rivers of each continent known by contemporary geographers: the Nile from Africa, the Ganges from Asia, the Danube from Europe, and the Río de la Plata from the Americas. Each river is represented by plants and animals from the continent and an allegorical river god semiprostrate before the central tower—an obelisk dating from the 1st century CE. The obelisk is surmounted by a dove, the symbol of Innocent X’s family (whose residence was close to the fountain). It is possible that this represents the power of the papacy over the known world.
The Fountain of the Four Rivers is a dynamic, dramatic structure that can be seen from all sides of the Piazza Navona. It is an important political symbol of the power of the papacy and a symbol of its attempt to reassert its influence after the schism of the Protestant Reformation. As well as serving a propaganda purpose, the fountain provided clean water to the local neighborhood in the days before domestic plumbing. It is also one of Bernini’s important works. A master of the Italian Baroque, he was responsible for earlier fountains in Rome, including the Fountain of the Triton and the Fountain of the Bees, both in the Piazza Barberini. (Jacob Field)
Fountain of Neptune
The northern Italian city of Bologna fell to the troops of Pope Julius II in 1506 and remained under papal control until Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy in 1796. During this papal period the city flourished. It became known as a place of great learning, a magnet for artists, painters, and craftsmen. The center of the city houses two squares that were once the seat of religious and civic power: the Piazza Maggiore and the adjoining Piazza del Nettuno. Lying between the two stands the Fontana del Nettuno, or Fountain of Neptune. It was made by the Flemish sculptor Jean Boulogne, better known as Giambologna.
The artist left his native Flanders for Rome in 1550, before settling in Florence two years later. He was influenced by Classical Greek sculpture and the work of Michelangelo and was eventually recognized as the leading sculptor of the exaggerated style of Italian Mannerism. Giambologna was commissioned to create the bronze sculpture of Neptune, and the subsidiary sculptures that form the fountain, by Pope Pius IV in 1563. Giambologna’s interpretation of the god of the sea, carrying a trident while calming the waves, made him famous. Below Neptune lie waterspouts in the shape of fish held by cherubs who sit on a plinth featuring the symbolic papal keys. In a frivolous style common to Mannerism, four mermaids at the base hold a breast in each hand, and each nipple serves as a water spout. In 1564 a block of houses was demolished to make way for the fountain, which was completed in 1566. The fountain’s base was designed by Sicilian artist Tomasso Laureti.
The fountain was warmly received and ensured Giambologna commissions from the powerful Medici family, including work on the Boboli Gardens. As a result, Giambologna’s sculptures influenced the design of formal gardens throughout Europe. (Carol King)
Statue of Eros
The story of what may be London’s best-known and best-loved statue and fountain did not begin with a chorus of acclaim. Upon completion in 1893, the statue was criticized as ugly, and the basin below it was too small to catch the full flow of the water, so passersby were sometimes soaked. The fountain was created by the sculptor Alfred Gilbert, and the statue on top is made of aluminum, which was still a novel material at the time.
The winged figure was intended as a memorial to Lord Shaftesbury, the great philanthropist. Perched on one foot on top of the fountain, it was meant to depict Anteros, the god of mutual love (and the brother of Eros). Originally, he aimed his arrow up Shaftesbury Avenue, but this became difficult when he was moved from his original location in the 1980s. Lower down on the fountain is a lively display of fish and marine creatures.
The figure was at one point renamed The Angel of Christian Charity. But it did not remotely resemble an angel as traditionally depicted. The name Eros stuck. The monument was supposed to be paid for by public subscription, but Gilbert ended up having to pay much of the cost himself. Although he was immensely highly regarded and almost overwhelmed with commissions, he went bankrupt in 1901 and escaped abroad. However, in 1923 he designed the striking memorial to Queen Alexandra in Marlborough Gate, beside St. James’s Palace. (Richard Cavendish)