Rome - The Fountains of The Eternal City

Rome - The Fountains of The Eternal City

The fountains of Rome have an ancient and glorious history. Examples range from the Eternal City's glory days in the 1st century AD to its even more glorious days during the Renaissance to the 18th century and beyond.

Other cities offer fountains that are barely beyond the utilitarian. But not Rome. Rome must have a water display that is a work of art, because Rome is itself one enormous museum.

The Trevi is unquestionably the most famous, but it has many competitors for the attention of Rome's many visitors.

The Fountain of Triton (Fontana del Tritone) is just one stellar example. Designed by the renowned Bernini in 1642, it is a masterpiece in the Baroque style. The central figure is a merman (the male equivalent of a mermaid), seated on a giant clamshell and flanked by dolphins.

Near the Spanish Steps is another Bernini work, his first in the genre. Displaying a half-sunken ship, the Barcaccia was a progenitor of the Baroque style in outdoor sculpture.

There is the Fountain of the Moor (Fontana del Moro), also by Bernini, yet another example of a sea-oriented theme. Sited at the southern tip of the Piazza Navona - itself worth a visit - the fountain depicts Neptune surrounded by his subjects. Four Tritons expel water as sea creatures frolic below.

The Fountain of Neptune adjacent to The Moor was a 19th century addition that features many of the same elements, but in a vastly different style.

One not by Bernini, but clearly influenced by his style, is the Fontana dei Tritoni by Francesco Bizzaccheri located in the Boario Forum in front of the Church of St. Maria. Set between the Temple of Male Fortune and the Temple of Vesta, it was built in 1715 at the dawn of the Age of Reason. Two powerful Tritons kneel on a large outcropping of rock and support a basin from which the fountain's water shoots.

But without a doubt the Fontana di Trevi, the Trevi Fountain, is the foremost example of the genre in Rome. Originally built in the 1st century AD, it was re-built between 1732 and 1751 at the orders of Pope Clement XII.

At 85 feet (26m) high and 65 feet wide (20m) it is the largest fountain in the city, and among the most beautiful. Sited at the rear of the Palace of the Dukes of Poli, it displays a familiar subject: Neptune, but this time riding a clamshell chariot behind two horses, amid Tritons and flanked by the gods of Health and Wealth.

It is here at the Trevi that hopeful tourists toss coins into the base, prompted by the legend that those who throw three coins into the water will one day return to Rome. The coins represent a healthy sum for the city's charities. Clever marketing was not unknown even in centuries past.

Nicola Salvi is often credited as the designer, but there are elements that suggest Bernini had a hand in its creation. The water source is from the Aqua Vergine aqueduct, the name of a legend depicted in the fountain itself. A virgin is said to have offered water to thirsty Roman soldiers.

No visit to Rome could be considered complete without seeing at least a few of its many famed fountains, outdoor sculpture at its finest.

Rome - The Eternal City, Ancient and Modern

Like many metropoli, Rome is a glorious combination of ancient monuments and modern, bustling life. Visitors will find far too much to do, no matter what their tastes.

For those who love fine art, Rome is second in Italy perhaps only to Florence. Like Florence, that isn't only because of its numerous museums such as the Vatican Museums or the Gallery Borghese. The city itself is an enormous outdoor sculpture garden and architectural treasure trove.

The Trevi Fountain is the most famous of Rome's many outdoor fountains festooned with sea-themed sculptures, but it is far from the only one. The Fountain of the Moor, Neptune's Fountain, La Barcaccia and a dozen others can all proudly compete with that magnificent coin-filled masterwork.

For tourists interested in archaeological sites - and that is a very large percentage of travelers - Rome offers some of the most interesting and educational examples in the world. The Domus Aurea - the Golden House of Nero - has now been under restoration for decades.

It offers a stellar view into the life of this lover of all things Greek. Golden and ivory covered walls, ancient mosaics and paintings and a reconstructed Octagon Room set atop a beautiful garden all help convey what life would have been like for the Emperor and his visitors.

The Pantheon, the Roman one not the one in Athens, is yet another stellar structure. In nearly new condition after almost two thousand years, its engineering innovations continue to astound knowledgeable visitors today. The dome, which constructed by anyone else would long ago have collapsed under its own weight, is only one of the amazing features of this architectural marvel.

The Roman Forum is equally an architectural delight, even though it can't boast of such pristine preservation. After more than three hundred years of restoration work, however, it can be seen much as it was in its heyday.

Numerous temples, arches and other structures show the Roman genius for combining the best art with the finest engineering. Elements of the design were not surpassed for more than a thousand years.

No visit to Rome would be complete without a tour of that most famous of ancient structures, the Colosseum. Though severely decayed, enough remains that it is still easy to envision gladiators battling in the arena below its rows of seats that housed 50,000 spectators.

The canopy that shaded the arena (now long gone) was so large and of such advanced design that debates continue to rage about how it was possible to construct and erect it at all. Come see it and form your own hypothesis.

But Rome offers much more than ancient buildings. St. Peter's Basilica remains one of the world's finest Renaissance works, both inside and out. The double-shelled dome, designed by Michaelangelo, complements the master's Pieta housed underneath.

Just walking around the city can be a delight. The Spanish Steps, the Piazza Navona, the Porta Portese flea market and a dozen other outdoor areas offer shopping, people-watching and sights galore.

Without a doubt, Rome has far more than can be enjoyed in one trip. So throw three coins in the Trevi Fountain and guarantee your return to this amazing city. After all, it may be eternal but you are not.

Rome - St. Peter's Basilica

Formally known by the name Basilica di San Pietro, St. Peter's Basilica is one of Rome's foremost tourist attractions. This one site alone has enough to see to occupy an entire day or more. St. Peter's is among the most well-known and frequently visited buildings inside Vatican City.

Though legend has it that the site was the burial place of Saint Peter, there's slim evidence for the belief. Rather, it is sited on what was likely the 1st century Circus of Nero.

In the 4th century AD the early Christian Roman Emperor Constantine ordered construction of a basilica which preceded the more famous effort by a thousand years.

In the early 16th century, Pope Leo X raised the needed funds by appealing to the zealous in favor of a holy war against the turks, but diverted the funds to construction of St. Peter's basilica.

Like any large construction project of the period, it went through several architects and Popes before being completed in the late 16th century.

The building is high for the period, over 135m (445ft) from floor level to the top of the cross, topped by the famous dome. The dome, which is an important element of the skyline of Rome, is an architectural marvel inside and out. Designed by the great Renaissance artist and chief architect Michaelangelo, it was adapted from a double-shell design by San Gallo.

Though the master became chief architect in 1546, he didn't live to see it completed. After his death the work was taken up by his student, Giacomo della Porta and completed in 1590. Echoes of the design can be seen in many famous structures, including the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

The dome held fast for two hundred years when stress cracks appeared, prompting the installation of four giant iron chains attached to the interior of the pair of shells. The chains are partly visible by climbing the spiral stairs between the two dome shells.

But there is much more to St. Peter's Basilica than its famous dome. The building is immense, covering almost six acres and capable of holding over 60,000 people. Which it has done on more than one occasion. Many Papal ceremonies have been held there over the centuries.
The facade is almost 115m (377ft) wide and over 45m (148ft) high and there are several statuary adorning the exterior.

Within its walls are over 100 tombs, many of which are occupied by well known historical figures. Not least among them is Queen Christina of Sweden who abdicated her crown in 1654 in order to be free to convert to Catholicism.

Unquestionably, however, one of the most famous and important works in the interior is Michaelangelo's Pieta, walled off by glass after being attacked by a lunatic with an axe in 1972.
Outside, apart from the view of the dome, there are several notable historical works to view.

There are several ancient clocks and one has a bell dating from the late 13th century. An Egyptian obelisk from the 13th century BC which once stood outside Nero's Circus is nearby.
Two fountains occupy the square. The one to the south is a design by the outstanding artist, Bernini, who created it in 1675. Bernini was also responsible for the stellar Triumph of the Chair of Saint Peter at the apse of the church.

Few can visit Rome without spending at least a few hours roaming within and around this outstanding example of Renaissance architecture.