From simple drinking spouts to monumental fountains imbued with history and legend, considerable artistic skill, and imagination has been brought to bear on the supply of water to the streets and piazzas of Rome.
What we offer here is a trip around some of the most charming fountains of the city. We begin our tour at one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's masterpieces: the imposing Fountain of the Four Rivers, set in the center of Piazza Navona. The fountain is dedicated to the four great rivers of the world that were known at the time of its construction: the Danube, Nile, Ganges, and Plate. Statues allegorically represent each of these continental rivers.
It does not take long to get from here to Piazza Mattei, where we find a real gem from the days of the late Roman Renaissance. It is the elegant Fountain of the Tortoises, which sits in the middle of one of the few piazzas to be found within the Jewish Ghetto. The fountain, now a tourist attraction, was originally built by Taddeo Landini, but later modified by Bernini, who added the four little tortoises, from which it has derived its name.
The third stop on our tour is at the famous Trevi Fountain, an easy walk of five hundred meters or so up Via delle Muratte, which leads off Via del Corso. The fountain became famous after the scene in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Every day, tourists arrive here to toss coins into the fountain so that they may be sure of returning to the Eternal City.
A walk up some of the top shopping streets of the city leads to another highly distinctive fountain. At the foot of the 137 Spanish Steps leading down from Trinità del Monte to Piazza di Spagna is the Boat Fountain by Pietro Bernini, Gian Lorenzo's father. The fountain was designed to make the best of the low water pressure in this part of the city.
A short distance away on Via del Babuino, the last part of our tour, is a special little fountain bearing the same name as the street. A man-baboon on top of the basin is one of the famous "talking statues" that are to be found in some of the historical Roman piazzas.
Although it is off our route, the Acqua Paola fountain on the Janiculum Hill should not be left out. Situated near the Academy of Spain, the "fontanone", as the locals call it, and the panoramic view of the city afforded by the hill make this a "must-see" for tourists.
