The main city of Italy, Rome is endowed with many epithets and is quite worthy of another - the "city of fountains." In the Eternal City there are really a lot of them, and not only because it is one of the most spectacular elements of the city ensemble. For an explanation, it’s worth going to Ancient Rome.
Rome is naturally endowed with water. It is based on seven hills towering above a damp lowland. Numerous streams flowed into it, and springs beat from the slopes. But this water was unpleasant in taste and almost unsuitable for drinking. Ancient Rome became famous for its aqueducts. They supplied fresh cold water from sources located sometimes tens of kilometers from the city.
Each river or source was represented by the ancient Romans as a deity or its abode. The water delivered through the aqueducts was also the personification of these deities, each of whom had his own cult. Water from various sources could not be mixed in one faceless water supply network. Equally blasphemous would be an obstruction to the free flow of water, therefore, in ancient Rome, water was never blocked. With the advent of the Renaissance, numerous fountains became one of the main decorations of the city.
At the end of the 16th century, by order of Pope Sixtus V, a group of four fountains was installed at once. Fountains are located in niches in the corners of houses that surrounded the intersection on four sides. The figures adorning the fountains represent symbolic images of the Tiber and Arno rivers, as well as the goddesses Juno and Diana. The Tiber symbolizes Rome and is depicted as a bearded man with a cornucopia. The legendary she-wolf stands next to the thicket. Arno symbolizes another city of Italy - Florence, and also appears as a strong man with a cornucopia and a lion Marzocco - the patron saint of Florence. Juno personifies female power, she is depicted with a goose. According to legend, geese from the temple of this particular goddess saved the city from the Gauls. Therefore, Juno acts here as the protector of Rome. Diana in Roman mythology is the goddess of plants and animals. She was also revered as a guardian of roads, so her images were traditionally placed at intersections. The fountains of Arno, Tiber and Juno were designed by the sculptor Domenico Fontana, and the Diana fountain was created by the artist and architect Pietro da Cortona.
The fountain Della Barcaccia was installed in 1629 in the Plaza of Spain. This creation by Pietro Bernini was to perpetuate the memory of people affected by the flood of 1598. The fountain is a semi-flooded boat. The fountain mirror is on the same level as the square. A small stream of water gives rise to a melancholy and chamber sensation.
The Fountain of the Four Rivers is one of the most impressive in Rome. It was built in the middle of the XVII century by Gian-Lorenzo Bernini. In the center stands an obelisk decorated with a bronze dove with an olive branch in its beak. The pigeon was on the coat of arms of the Pamphili family, from which Pope Innocent H. Pontiff came from. He announced a contest for the best fountain using the obelisk. According to legend, Bernini was not allowed to participate, but he submitted the project anyway. Seeing the layout, dad canceled the competition and entrusted the work of Bernini. A rock rises in the center of the fountain. Wild animals emerge from her caves. Around are male figures representing the four cardinal points and four great rivers: the Danube - Europe, the Ganges - Asia, the Nile - Africa and La Plata - America.
The Fountain of the Four Rivers is located in the center of the elongated Navona Square. Two more compositions flank it. On the one hand - the fountain of the Moor, taming the dolphin, it is made according to the plan of Gian-Lorenzo Bernini. On the other - the fountain of Neptune, fighting with an octopus surrounded by sea horses and cupids by Giacomo Della Porta.
Remembering the sights of Rome, it is impossible to pass by the Trevi Fountain. Adjacent to the Palazzo Poli, the Trevi Fountain is larger than all the other numerous fountains in Rome. The name of the fountain built in the 18th century comes from the name of the square on which this ensemble is located and means "three roads". The Trevi Fountain was built on the spot where the Aqua Virgo aqueduct - Virgo Water ended. It was built by Mark Vipsaniy Agrippa in 19 BC. According to legend, the location of the source to the emperor’s associate was indicated by a girl. This scene depicts one of the reliefs of the Palazzo Poli. On the other, Mark Vipsanius Agrippa explains to Octavian Augustus the importance of developing the Rome water supply network. Below in the niches are female figures that embody Health and Abundance. The author of the Trevi Fountain, Nicolo Salvi, placed in the center of the composition a colossal figure of the Ocean, riding out on a huge chariot shell drawn by sea horses. In ancient Greek mythology, the Ocean is the personification of a world river washing land and sea. Majestic, it rises above the bowl of the grandest fountain of Rome, representing the whole sea with rocks, shells and marine inhabitants.
