AZIENDA DI PROMOZIONE TURISTICA DI ROMAVia Parigi, 11 - 00185 Roma

HIGH COMMISSIONER:Walter Veltroni

DIRECTOR:Guido Improta

An editorial realization by the Publishing Department of the APT of Rome

TEXT:Fiorenza RausaClaudia Vigiani

“The Tiber” is by Antonella Pioli

PHOTOS:Archives APT of Rome

Gianluca Belei for APT di RomeArchives Ideo Srl - Rome

COVER:

Piazza di Spagna - La Barcaccia

GRAPHIC:Ideo Srl - Rome

PRINTED BY:CSR - Rome

The Pantheon

Introduction pag 5

Itinerary 1:

from Villa Borghese to Piazza di Spagna pag 9

Itinerary 2:

from Quattro Fontane to Quirinal pag 17

Itinerary 3:

from Ponte Sisto to St Peter’s Square pag 23

Itinerary 4:

from Ponte Palatino to Campidoglio pag 29

Itinerary 5:

from Via del Gesù to Campo de’ Fiori pag 35

Itinerary 6:

from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo pag 41

Itinerary 7:

from Villa Giulia to Ponte Milvio pag 47

The Tiber pag 53

The Baths of Caracalla pag 56

The Park of the Aqueducts pag 58

The Ponte Nomentano pag 60

The Nymphaeum of Egeria pag 61

Contents

Aerial view of the Tiber

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RomaThe culture of water

Whoever visits Rome is impressedby the number of monuments andimposing hydraulic structureswhich, together with the largeamount of water present in thearea, have always been a feature ofthe urban and suburban landscape.The birth and development ofRome, which in the course of timebecomes the undisputed ruler ofthe Mediterranean, is in factbound up with its favourable geo-graphic position, near the riverTiber, in the vicinity of naturalsprings and the sea. The archaicpopulations that settled in the areasince the early Iron Age, foundedtheir villages on the hills near theleft bank of the river Tiber by theTiber Island. By making the cross-ing of the river easier, the islandfacilitated the connection betweenEtruria and Campania. The basketcontaining the twins Romulus andRemus, who in the 8th century BCaccording to legend foundedRome, was stranded nearby at thefoot of the Palatine hill when theTiber’s banks overflowed. In thefollowing centuries, importantpublic works showing the powerand wealth of Roman civilization,contributed to form the image ofthe city. The splendour of many ofthese ancient works are still visibletoday: reclaiming and draining ofthe area, bridges, port structureswhich permitted the exploitation ofthe river as the principle artery forcommercial, military and econom-ical purposes, aqueducts and mon-umental fountains as well as bathcomplexes. The latter were themost extraordinary structures everbuilt in Rome and in the wholeempire. In the early 19th centuryChateaubriand still observed “Wefind baths at every step, the baths of

Nero, Titus, Caracalla, Diocletian,etc. Even if Rome had been threetimes more populous, one tenth ofthose baths would have sufficientfor public needs”. The baths, opento everyone, were immense com-plexes where the ancients spentmuch time making use of thebathing facilities. It was also pos-sible to consult libraries, watchshows, relax in the shade of thetrees in the gardens and above all,undertake social and cultural rela-tions. Never in history has a publicstructure been so large and so fre-quented. Beginning in the 6th century, whenthe Goths led by Witigis cut theaqueducts, the population wasforced to move closer to the banksof the river Tiber which becametheir only source of water. Duringthe Middle Ages new occupationshaving to do with water and whichsurvived until the 19th centurycame into being: the “vascellari”who made water jugs, the “bar-caroli” who ferried people fromone bank to the other, the“acquarenari” who sold river

Roman Aqueduct

water purified by means of a par-ticular system of sedimentation,and the “mulinari” who utilized thecurrent of the river to operate float-ing mills, built along the banks. The Romans, living in close contactwith the river, also suffered thetragic consequences of the numer-ous floods that devastated wholedistricts, sowing death and destruc-tion. The floods which from theMiddle Ages to the 16th centuriywere called “diluvi” (deluges) weredocumented from 414 BC to 1915.The construction of the embank-ments of the Lungotevere, begun in1870 and completed only in 1926,put an end to this terrible affliction.

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In the Renaissance the popesdecided to renew and beautify thecity that had been abandoned for along time by promoting splendidworks such as the building of newbridges, the restoration of theancient aqueducts and above allthe creation of public fountainswhich, in addition to providing auseful service to the population,were extremely decorative.Monumental fountains also beganto decorate the gardens and court-yards of noble palazzi, opening theway the to the grandiose decora-tions of the Baroque period. Theseornamental structures when simu-lating natural settings such as

Aerial view of the Baths of Caracalla

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RomaThe culture of water

grottoes or waterfalls were named“nymphaeums” to recall similararchitectural creations which theGreeks and the Romans had dedi-cated to the cult of the nymphs. InBaroque Rome, full of surprisinglyscenographical buildings, manymore fountains assuming originalforms and spectacular dimensionswere built as can be seen in theFountain of the Rivers in PiazzaNavona and the celebratedFountain of Trevi. Numerous visi-tors still come to the city to admirethese marvels, ideally followingthe poet Shelley who in the 19th

century declared that “the foun-tains alone justify a visit toRome”.This publication aims at invitingthe reader to discover some of thenumerous monuments, more or lesswell known, which demonstrate thecontinuous and vital relationship

of Rome with water. The seven itin-eraries describe the most repre-sentative aqueducts, fountains,nymphaeums, bridges and baths tobe seen along the suggested walks.The wealth of monuments, oftenhidden or inaccessible to the pub-lic, and the size of the city itself,have made it necessary to selectthe areas most frequented byRomans and tourists.Five brief monographs concludethe publication with the descrip-tion of two archeological areas ofexceptional interest, the Baths ofCaracalla and the Park of theAqueducts, along with two littleknown sites rich in history, theNomentano Bridge and theNymphaeum of Egeria, and anabsolute protagonist, the Tiber,finally returned today to its primaryfunction of water way and fully inte-grated in the bustling life of Rome.

Navigation on the Tiber

Fountain of Moses at the Pincio

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RomaThe culture of water

Itinerary 1

A century after its opening to thepublic in 1903, Rome celebratesVilla Borghese with a rich pro-gramme of performances, exhibits,sports events and initiatives of vari-ous kinds. For information contactthe call center n. 0682077304 or con-sult the web site www.villaborghese.it Villa Borghese is without a doubt thebest known and most loved parkamong both Romans and foreign visi-tors, also owing to its fortunate loca-tion near the city centre. It was creat-ed starting from 1606 by the CardinalScipione Borghese, nephew of PopePaul V, who wanted to transform a“vineyard outside Porta Pinciana” intoa place of delight and leisure, a presti-gious and representative venue toreceive illustrious guests and friends.The project of this splendid suburbanresidence was assigned to FlaminioPonzio, followed after his death byGiovanni Vasanzio. The villa is a validexample of the baroque taste forblending art and nature by establish-ing a harmonious interaction betweenthe architectural part and the vast gar-den, divided into three sections. Thefirst two, known as “Forest Garden”and “Garden of the Perspectives”, fol-lowed geometric patterns arrangedalong orthogonal axes and perspec-tives, typical of the Italian-style gar-den. The third and largest section hadspontaneous and wild vegetation andwas used as a hunting ground. Reliefs,ancient and modern statues, sarcopha-gi and vases were used to adorn thebuildings and to indicate particularsites or to close perspective effects.The numerous fountains placed as ref-erence points along the promenades,were the central element of the 17th

century layout, as well as in thechanges carried out in the 18th and 19th

centuries. The itinerary begins at the main build-ing, known as Casino Nobile, seat ofthe famous Borghese Gallery. In thesquare in front of the main entrance,there are two small symmetrical foun-tains, the Fountains of the Masks,placed a the ends of the balustrade thatsurround it. Made in the 17th centuryand based on a drawing by Vasanzio,they were sold along with the entirebalustrade in 1895 to an Americancollector who moved them to England.The faithful copies that have takentheir place consist of a square baseattached to the balustrade on one side

FROM VILLA BORGHESE TO PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

Fountain of the Masks

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and decorated with three large maskson the other three, and from whichwater comes out and falls into threesmall basins connected to each otherin such a way as to form the shape ofa seashell. The water then falls into thelower part where it is channeled into asmall basin inserted in the ground. In theupper part, two pedestals decorated witheagles and dragons, symbols of theBorghese family, support two sculptures.Proceeding along Viale del MuseoBorghese, you will find the two DarkFountains, made around 1620. Placedon the sides of the street, they arequite similar although the one on theright, toward via Pinciana, has a roundperimeter, the one on the left an ovalshape. In both of them, an elegantstem rises from the basin and supportstwo smaller concentric cups. A marbleand peperino seat runs around the twobasins that used to be decorated withancient statues, now lost. At one timethe fountains were surrounded bythick vegetation with tall hedges. The

shade they produced made the foun-tains seem “dark”, an ideal place forpleasant stops and retreats duringpromenades. Briefly after the intersection of Vialedel Museo Borghese with Viale deiCavalli Marini, you will find theFountain of the Seahorses. It datesback to the end of the 18th century,when Prince Marcantonio IV Borghesecommissioned the architect AntonioAsprucci to renovate the villa andupdate its decor to the taste of the peri-od. The fountain was designed in 1791by the painter Cristoforo Unterpergher,from the northern Italy, who was alsoinvolved in the redecorating of themain Casino. Placed at the centre of anintersection, it consists of a largeround basin at ground level outlinedby small pilasters that don’t obstructthe view of the surroundings. At thecentre, four seahorses carved by LuigiSalimei, support a composition withthree concentric circular basins fromwhich water gushes forth.

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Fountain of the Seahorses

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The seahorses, half horse and halffish, are a symbol of strength andvitality, and their wings refer to themythological horse Pegasus.Continuing along Via dei Pupazzi pastthe Tempietto di Diana, you arrive inVia Goethe and the Fountain of theWinged Victories. Made in the early20th century, the basin of the fountainis actually an ancient Roman sarcoph-agus that represents winged Victoriesamong garlands of fruit and ornamen-tal masks. The large mask from whichwater spurts and flanked by dolphinswas instead made by Giacomo dellaPorta at the end of the 16th century,along with other similar elements, toadorn the fountain in Piazza dellaRotonda in front of the Pantheon. Atthe end of the 19th century, the fourmasks were substituted with copies,and deposited in the city warehouses;only one of them was later moved tothe Villa Borghese, where we can stillenjoy it.At the end of Via Goethe you can turnright into Via Canonica with theGarden of the Lake on the right, oneof the most successful transformationsof the park in the 18th century. Antonio

Asprucci, with the help of the land-scape artist Jacob More, created a set-ting inspired by the Romantic Englishgarden, with more spontaneous vege-tation. The rigid 17th century schemes,with walls around the different sec-tions and avenues arranged accordingto perspective, were eliminated infavour of winding paths almost hiddenin the thickness of the trees. An artifi-

Fountain of the Winged Victories

Garden of the Lake and Temple of Esculapius

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cial lake, with irregular banks andimitation jagged rocks, was createdwith the purpose of emphasizing thenatural character of the place. Thelake’s most particular feature is theTemple of Esculapius, a small build-ing in the Ionic style constructedbetween 1785 and 1792 by AntonioAsprucci and Cristoforo Unterpergher.An inscription in Greek dedicated tothe god of medicine, Esculapius, runsalong the trabeation. On the tympa-num, instead, is the representation of themoment in which the god’s sacredsnake, brought to Rome from Epidaurusto put an end to the terrible plague of291 BC, landed on the island in theTiber. At the sides of the temple, twolarge statues of nymphs stand on falserocks. The temple is on a little islandwhich could be reached by a smallbridge at the back or by row boat. It isstill possible to rent small row boatsfor romantic outings on the lake,which was considered one of the most

attractive features of the park alreadyin the 19th century. The Roman poetGioacchino Belli composed a sonnetin which he described the festiveatmosphere of the park that beingopen to the public, had become one ofthe favourite places of the Romans.“Then you go to the lake and the park,and everywhere you will find peopleeating, playing ball , running aroundand shouting”.Shortly before arriving at the lake, inan opening on the right, you will findthe Fountain of the Masks and thefour little Fountains of the Tritons,placed here in the early 20th century.Both the tritons and the ornamentalmasks are 16th century works by Gia-como della Porta, for the fountain onthe southern side of Piazza Navona towhich Bernini added the famous Moorin the mid 17th century. In 1874 theywere removed from their original lo-cation, were substituted with copiesand eventually reused to adorn the

Fountain of the Satyrs or Joyous Fount

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fountains in Villa Borghese. In thenew composition they were put to-gether differently than in PiazzaNavona. The four tritons kneeling onthe valve of a seashell as they blowthrough the conch, were placed at thecorners of the open space, on simplesemicircular basins. The four masks in-stead, were placedon a central foun-tain, consisting ofa mixtilinear basinwith an ancientgranite tub at itscentre. At presentthe structure lacksits most preciousdecorative elementswhich have beenrecently removed,probably to protectthem from vandal-ism. Almost oppo-site, on the left sideof Via del Lago, youwill find the smallgraceful Fountainof the Satyrs, madein 1929 by the sculp-tor Giovanni Nicoli-ni. Also known asthe Joyful Fountain or the Fountain ofthe Rabbits, it is made up of a cylin-drical base on which four rabbit headsalternate with an inscription in Latinthat reads: fons canit vitae laudemmurmure suo (with its murmuring thespring sings its hymn to life). Above it,an extremely refined bronze sculptureshows two satyrs, male and female,holding their little son in their arms.On the left of the lake you can walkdown Via Esculapio that ends in Piaz-zale del Fiocco, dominated by theFountain of Esculapius or Fountainof the Ribbon. The composition wasmade during the third phase of workon the park, promoted by Prince

Camillo Borghese starting from 1824and entrusted to the architect LuigiCanina. The complex structure blendsa series of heterogeneous elements -architecture, sculpture, rock, vegeta-tion and water – that render the wholeboth harmonious and scenographic.On the upper part, on a rocky support,

stands a triumphalarch with a singleopening that con-tains a statue ofEsculapius withthe traditional at-tribute of a snake.The eagle, heraldicsymbol of theBorghese family,and two statuesadorn the top of thearch. At the front,water spurts froma circular basinon a pedestal. Continue alongViale Fiorello LaGuardia and turnright into Vialedelle Magnoliethat ends by thebridge made in

1908 to connect Villa Borghese withthe Promenade of the Pincio. Thearea was considered ideal by the an-cient Romans to build luxurious villasknown for their splendid gardens, andwas chosen by Napoleon for thePromenade publique, a park intendedfor the walks and strolls of the Romanpeople. A reflection of the ideals ofpost-revolutionary France in its strongsocial character, it was considered ab-solutely necessary in Rome, designat-ed as the second capital of the Empire.Designed by the French architectBerthault, a specialist of the genre, thegarden was supposed to be named Jardindu Grand César, in honour of Napoleon.

Fountain of the Clock

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After the collapse of the Napoleonic em-pire in 1814 Pope Pius VII Chiramonticommissioned Giuseppe Valadier tocontinue all the same.Coming from Villa Borghese, immedi-ately on your right you will find Viadell’Orologio, named after the

Fountain of the Clock. The smallartificial lake, surrounded by an ironfence, has a rocky formation and thecentre with lush vegetation and awater clock. Presented at theUniversal Exhibition in Paris in 1867,the hydrochronometer (the correct sci-entific term for it) was created andbuilt by the Dominican priestGiambattista Embriaco. It consists ofa small wooden tower with a clockface on each of the four sides of theupper part and glass in the lower sec-tion to show the mechanism. A smalljet of water falls alternatively in thelittle bowls on the left and right of abalance wheel making it swing, thusputting the whole mechanism inmotion. A small wooden bridge con-necting the bank of the pond with therocky island at its centre was addedfor the upkeep of the clock. Proceed in the direction of PiazzaleNapoleone I up to the Fountain of

Moses. A sculpture of a female figurekneeling in front of a basket with ababy in it, was placed at the centre ofthe wide circular basin in 1868. It rep-resents the moment in which Moses,condemned to be killed like all theJewish male babies by order of the

pharaoh, wasabandoned in theNile by is motherand found by thepharaoh’s daugh-ter who had himeducated at court.The statue is placedon a rock fromwhich water gush-es out in threespurts and adornedwith thick pa-pyrus plants thatevoke an Egypt-ian setting. Hav-ing reached Piaz-

zale Napoleone I that offers one of themost beautiful views of Rome, youcan turn left for Viale del Belvedereand continue along Viale Trinità deiMonti until you arrive at the Fountainof Viale della Trinità dei Monti, infront of Villa Medici. Although it isvery simple, the fountain is one of themost elegant and admired in the city.Commissioned by cardinal Ferdinan-do de’Medici in 1589, the architectAnnibale Lippi created an octagonalbasin at ground level in which an oc-tagonal base supports an ancient cir-cular granite basin. At the centre,water spurts from a cannon ball with apeculiar origin. According to tradi-tion, Queen Christina of Sweden,whose bizarre behaviour never ceasedto surprise the Romans during thethirty-four years of her stay in Rome,actually fired it herself from the Cas-tel Sant’Angelo in 1656. Being dread-fully late for an appointment at Villa

Aerial view of the Garden of the Lake

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RomaThe culture of water

Medici with the painter Charles Er-rard, the eccentric queen chose thisunusual manner of making her pres-ence felt.The itinerary ends at the foot of thefamous Spanish Steps with theFountain of the Barcaccia (meaning“ugly old boat”). Commissioned by Pope Urban VIIIBarberini, the fountain was erectedbetween 1627 and 1629 by PietroBernini, who probably availed himselfof the precious advice of his son GianLorenzo. Contemporaries referred toit as a “quaint fancy” but did not failto notice its originality, due to the factthat for the first time there was atravertine boat instead of the custom-ary round or mixtilinear basin.The oval pool in fact, contains pre-cisely a “barcaccia”, that is, a bargeused for the transportation of barrelsof wine along the banks of the riverTiber. It seems that the idea for thestructure, placed at a level lower than

the street because of the low pressureof the Virgo Aqueduct at that point,came from the recollection of a bargethat remained stranded in the squareduring the great flood of 1598. Itsprow and stern are identical and itssides are very low to facilitate loadingand unloading but give the impressionthat the boat is about to sink. Theexterior is decorated with two largecoats of arms of the pope, with the beesymbol of the family and two falsecannon mouths from which waterpours into the pool below. On the inside water spurts in a fanshape from two suns, anotherBarberini symbol. It was wittilyremarked that “ships are providedwith metallic instruments of war andspit iron and fire, whereas this marbleone, built by the pope as if it floated,does not spread flames or cannonballs but water, that is to say waves ofhoney, from the winged insects thatproduce it”.

Fountain of the Barcaccia and Trinità dei Monti in the background

Trevi Fountain

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RomaThe culture of water

Itinerary 2

At the intersection between Via QuattroFontane, Via del Quirinale and Via XXSettembre, against the beveled cornersof the buildings, stand the FourFountains ordered by Pope Sixtus V,Felice Peretti, in the late 16th century.They were intended as stage scenery forthe new crossing resulting from theopening of the Strada Felice, the presentVia Quattro Fontane, that intersected thepreexisting Strada Pia, now Via delQuirinale. The Strada Felice wasdesigned by Domenico Fontana andbuilt by the same Poe Sixtus V to con-nect the basilica of Santa MariaMaggiore with Trinità dei Monti. Theview from this point is one of the mostimpressive in Rome: from here it is in factpossible to see the three ancient obelisksthat rise in Piazza dell’Esquilino, PiazzaTrinità dei Monti and Piazza delQuirinale. The fountains, on the otherhand, are certainly not among the mostbeautiful in the city. Perhaps becausethey were not executed by first rateworkmen, they are not on the level ofFontana’s project. The fountains repre-sent two river gods and two female god-desses reclining and placed in nichesthat originally simulated grottoes. Theriver Tiber is situated on the corner ofthe San Carlino complex, and can be rec-ognized by the she-wolf approachingfrom the right. On the left corner lies theArno with a lion, symbol of Florence.The other fountains represent Dianawith a dog, and Juno with a peacock.At number 13 of the nearby Via QuattroFontane, you will find one of theentrances to Palazzo Barberini, seat ofthe National Gallery of Ancient Art. Thisimposing and elegant building waserected in the 17th century above theruins of the ancient Villa Sforza, for thefamily of Pope Urban VIII. Numerousarchitects participated in its construc-tion, the most noteworthy being Carlo

Maderno, Francesco Borromini, GianLorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona.The garden at the front contains thefountain created by Francesco Azzurri inthe 19th century, along with the monu-mental railing used as a background in afamous scene of the film “RomanHoliday” with Audrey Hepburn, and haslarge travertine pilasters decorated withtelamons sculpted by Adamo Tadoliniand surmounted by vases and the coat ofarms of the Barberini family. The foun-tain is in the shape of a candlestick andconsists of an octagonal basin with ashaft supporting a circular basin deco-rated with three bees from the Barberinicoat of arms.In the nearby Piazza Barberini stands thebaroque Fountain of the Triton. Exe-cuted in travertine by Gian LorenzoBernini around 1643, the fountain iswithout a doubt one of the most beauti-ful in the city, especially for the natural-ism with which the artist represented thesea monster, half man and half fish, seat-ed on the valves of an open seashell. The

FROM QUATTRO FONTANE TO QUIRINAL

Fountain of Juno

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triton has a powerful physical build andis shown blowing through a conch (aspiral-shaped seashell) from which, in-stead of sound, water pours forth andfalls into the basin below. The sea god,son of Neptune and Amphitrite, used tobe invoked to calm the waves after astorm, as described by Ovid in the Meta-morphoses (1st cen-tury AD): “Therage of the seaabated, the god ofthe oceans calmedthe waters, putdown his tridentand summoned theblue-green Triton,looming above thewaters, his shoul-ders encrusted withseashells, and or-dered him to blowhis resounding hornto signal to therivers and waves toretreat.Wet-bearded Tri-ton took the hol-low, twisted conchthat from its tipwidens into a spiral, the conch that,blown in the middle of the sea, can beheard from shore to shore. Even then,when he obeyed the order and set lip tohis horn sounding the retreat, all the wa-ters of the lands and seas heard and allobeyed returning to their beds”.The beautiful plastic composition andthe two family coats of arms are sup-ported by four dolphins with open jawsemerging from the low four-lobed basin.The fountain is fed by the FelixAqueduct, whose delivery capacity wasincreased by 60,000,000 litres to allowthe spurt of water to be very high, high-er than it is today. At present the fountainis provided with a recycling system,contributed by the national gas compa-

ny, Italgas, that filters the water and pre-vents foreign elements from damagingthe sculpture. In Piazza Barberini, at the corner withVia Veneto, stands another fountainbuilt by the Barberini family in the 17th

century, the Fountain of the Bees.Gian Lorenzo Bernini received the com-

mission from UrbanVIII just a few daysafter the splendidFountain of the Tri-ton at the centre ofthe square wascompleted. Origi-nally intended as asimple drinkingtrough for horses, itwas meant to beplaced, as was cus-tomary, to the sideof the monumentalfountain. It wasexecuted in 1644 inwhite Carrara mar-ble and set againstPalazzo Soderini atthe beginning ofVia Sistina andremoved in 1867

because it blocked traffic. Stored in oneof the municipal warehouses in Testac-cio, until January 1916, it was reassem-bled in the present location by the sculp-tor Adolfo Apolloni, with the few origi-nal fragments that had survived the dis-mantling. The fountain was rebuilt intravertine without considering Bernini’soriginal and ingenious 17th centurydesign. The present structure consists ofthe valve of an open seashell, resting onrocks and forming the basin, fed bywater coming out of the spouts, sur-mounted by three bees. The inscriptionrecalls Pope Urban VIII and, in the lastline, the XXI (twenty-first) year of hisreign in which the fountain was execut-ed. Actually, Bernini was away from

Fountain of the Triton

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Rome when the fountain was completedand during its summer inauguration, andhad asked the stone-cutter to indicate theXXII (twenty-second) year of PopeUrban VIII’s reign on the epigraph,which was carved in June. The anticipa-tion of the anniversary date which wasreally to be celebrated in August, wasinterpreted maliciously by the Romansas clear evidence of the airs of grandeurput on by the family. The event occa-sioned the pasquinade “The Barberinihaving sucked up the entire world, pro-ceeded to suck up time as well”, refer-ring to the fact that large portions of theirproperty were acquired by subtractingpublic works from the people. Thepope’s nephew had the last number onthe Roman numeral erased in the hopesof appeasing the population that was fedup with having all those public fountainsand no water in their homes. Nonethe-less, criticism did not subside and, as aRoman diarist relates, the stone-cutter“left the carved number XXI, as if,

according to many, he wishedthe pope never to reach the

year XXII”. Actually, con-trary to everyone’sexpectations, the popedied on July 29,1644, exactly 8 daysbefore entering intothe twenty-secondyear of his reign.From Via delTritone, turn left atthe Accademia diSan Luca andreach Via dellaPanetteria where,

at n. 15 you will

find the facade of Palazzo Antamoro.Purchased in the 18th century by thenoble family after whom it was named,the palace was built in the 17th centuryby Paolo Strada, the secret valet of thecardinal Giulio Rospigliosi, future PopeClement IX. An unknown architectdesigned the building and work wascompleted with funds provided by thecardinal to Strada, who showed his grat-itude by placing the Rospigliosi coat ofarms on the fountain in the courtyard.Designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in1669, the fountain has three basins andtwo tritons blowing through conches outof which water pours into the underlyingbowl in the shape of a shell. Two dol-phins emerge from a rock and support abasin beyond which the coat of arms ofthe Antamoro family has substituted theoriginal one of the Rospigliosi. Althoughnot well known, this fountain in fullbaroque taste, with the natural settingreproduced in the background and thetritons virtuously committed to support-ing the coat of arms, can be consideredthe epitome of the Fountain of theTritons created by Gian Lorenzo Berniniat the height of his fame.Return to Piazza dell’Accademia di SanLuca and to Via del Tritone, then reachVia del Nazareno. Right by building n.9/a, below street level, lie the remains ofthe Virgo Aqueduct, the only ancientone that has remained virtuallyunchanged through the centuries. Builtat the time of the Emperor Augustus, theaqueduct still provides water to the foun-tains of Trevi, Piazza Navona and Piazzadi Spagna, and its subterranean sectioncan actually be navigated by boat. Thesprings of the aqueduct, ordered byMarcus Agrippa for his bath complex inthe Campus Martius, were located in theAgro Lucullano, at the eighth mile of theVia Collatina in the area known today as

Fountain of the Bees

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Salone. After a longsubterranean tract, theconduit surfaced nearthe modern Via DueMacelli from which,through a series ofarches, it reached Viadel Nazareno. Whatcan still be partiallyseen corresponds tothe upper section ofthree arches of traver-tine blocks in ashlar-work, framed bysemi-columns andsurmounted by theattic with an inscrip-tion referring to therestoration promotedby the EmperorClaudius in the 1st

century AD. FromPiazza dell’Accademiadi San Luca, proceedalong Via dellaStamperia and reachPiazza di Trevi, settingof the most celebrated fountain in theworld: Trevi Fountain. Built between1732 and 1762 according to a project byNicola Salvi, it was conceived as a largemonument set against a preexistingbuilding and consisting of a rich and ani-mated decoration in addition to thebasin. Actually, all the architectural anddecorative elements scenically frame thewater that gushes and collects in thelarge basin representing the sea. Thebasin itself is located below street levelbecause the small size of the squarewould not have otherwise allowed theconstruction of such a large fountain.Water is provided to the fountain by theVirgo Aqueduct, named after the leg-endary appearance of a young girl whoindicated the spring to some thirsty sol-diers. The large architectural backdropsimulates a Roman triumphal arch onwhich the inscriptions recall the names

of the popes who financed the con-struction. Crowning the attic and sup-ported by symbolic representations ofFame, is the coat of arms of PopeClement XII Corsini who commis-sioned the fountain. The four allegori-cal figures set against the balustradeprobably represent the seasons. Thebas-reliefs below the cornice representepisodes of Marcus Agrippa supervis-ing work on the construction of VirgoAqueduct on the left, and of the Virginindicating the spring to the soldiers onthe right. In the lower part, at the cen-tre, stands the majestic figure ofOcean, personification of water,accompanied by tritons and seahorsespulling a chariot in the shape of thevalve of a seashell. Around them,pools and basins overflowing withwater, recreate a natural setting. In theniches on the sides stand the personifi-

Trevi Fountain

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cations of Abundance on the left andHealth on the right. Water, forcefullygushing from the rocks into the basinbelow, is the real protagonist of thesite. In spite of the petrified vegetationderived from Bernini’s creations, itsmovement, the sound of which is audi-ble already in the nearby streets, exaltsNature’s constant flow in an incessantplay of dynamic effects.The walk ends in Piazza del Quirinalewhere the mighty statues of theDioscuri rise at the sides of an obelisk.In all probability, the statues originallycame from the nearby temple of Serapis,built by Caracalla in the 3rd centuryAD. They were successively moved tothe Baths of Constantine erected on theQuirinal in the 4th century and their con-stant presence in the area eventuallycaused the hill itself to be named MonteCavallo. Restored heavily on numerousoccasions, the statues represent theDioscuri Castor and Pollux holdingchafing horses by their bridle, and weremoved by Pope Sixtus V Peretti at theend of the 16th century to adorn the sidesof a marble octagonal fountain intended

as a backdrop for the street, now Via XXSettembre, in correspondence to PortaPia at the opposite end.During the reign of Sixtus V, thenames of Phydias and Praxiteles wereerroneously indicated as the authors ofthe statues in the inscriptions carvedon their bases. In 1784 the statueswere placed in their present location,at the centre of the square and on thesides of the obelisk from theMausoleum of Augustus in theCampus Martius. In 1818 Pope PiusVII Chiaramonti had the precedingfountain substituted with the beautifulbasin brought from the Roman Forumwhere it had been placed in 1593 byGiacomo Della Porta to be used as adrinking trough for cattle. The greatarcheologist Rodolfo Lanciani relateshow during the 19th century, before itwas moved to the Quirinal, cart driv-ers passing through the Forum area,known at the time as Campo Vaccino(Cow Pasture), “would cross the basinwith their vehicles to spare themselvesthe nuisance of wetting their wheels inthe summer heat”.

Fountain of the Dioscuri at the Quirinal

Maderno’s Fountain in St. Peter’s Square

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Itinerary 3

Ponte Sisto was the first bridge in Rometo be built by a pope after the ones erect-ed in antiquity. It is named after PopeSixtus IV Della Rovere who restructuredan ancient Roman bridge, known as thepons Antoninus or Aurelius, on occasionof the Jubilee of 1475. The ancient struc-ture was built in 147 AD by the EmperorAntoninus Pius, perhaps by using theremains of another bridge constructedearlier by Agrippa. Restored numeroustimes in the course of the centuries, thebridge definitively collapsed during theterrible flood of 792, acquiring the nameof Pons Ruptus (Broken Bridge) orFractus (Fractured).The new structure, erected ex-novobeginning in 1473 is curved in a shapeknown as “donkey’s back”. It consists offour wide arches in tufa, travertine andbrickwork, and is supported by threestrong pillars. The central pillar has alarge circular opening, the “occhialone”,for the downflow of water, used for cen-turies by the Romans as a hydrometer: ifthe Tiber flowed through the hole it

meant the safety high water mark hadbeen exceeded. The architect whodesigned the bridge is traditionally heldto be Baccio Pontelli, although there isno proof. Despite various interventionsto reinforce it, the bridge maintained itsoriginal appearance until 1877, when itscarriage way was widened. The old para-pets were eliminated to make room fortwo suspended cast iron sidewalks thatdisfigured it. They were fortunatelyremoved in the course of an elaboraterestoration process promoted by theMunicipality of Rome beginning in 1998which succeeded in returning the bridgeto its original Renaissance aspect.Piazza Trilussa is located by the bridge-head towards Trastevere and is dominat-ed by the fountain commonly known asFontanone di Ponte Sisto.When it was inaugurated by Pope Paul VBorghese in 1613, the fountain stood onthe opposite bank of the river, againstthe facade of the Beggars Hospital. Atthe end of the 16th century the complexhad been founded by Pope Sixtus V at

FROM PONTE SISTO TO ST. PETER’S SQUARE

Ponte Sisto

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the extremity of via Giulia as a back-drop. Unfortunately the construction ofthe embankments of the Lungoteverecaused the practically total destructionof the hospital. The fountain instead wasdismantled and reassembled in its pres-ent location, no longer against a buildingbut free standing, in 1898. This solutionenhanced its simple and functional shape,probably designed by Giovanni Vasanzio.The deeply recessed niche, flanked bytwo columns setagainst ashlar-workmasonry, has asmall basin in theupper section fromwhich water poursinto the widerbasin below. At thetop, the inscriptionsurmounted by theBorghese coat ofarms celebratesPope Paul V, whobrought water tothis area of the cityby restoring theAqueduct of Trajan.A lovely walkthrough the pictur-esque alleys ofTrastevere will leadyou to the mainsquare of the district, Piazza SantaMaria in Trastevere, where you willfind one of the most ancient fountains inthe city. Its existence is documented withcertainty from 1471, but it may haveactually been made for the Jubilee of1450, in substitution of a medievalfount. It originally consisted of a polyg-onal basin surmounted by two roundones, but it was restored and modifiednumerous times over the centuries.The fountain’s output of water was ini-tially very slight owing to the lack of aregular supply. The problem was solvedonly in 1658, when Pope Alexander VIIChigi decided that it should be fed by the

Acqua Paola. On that occasion, GianLorenzo Bernini was to asked to be incharge of the works and the octagonalbasin was entirely redone and elevated.Four double seashells were added to col-lect the water gushing from four bronze“bocche di lupo” (wolf mouths), belong-ing to the old fountain. By the end ofthe 17th century, Bernini’s shells hadalready deteriorated and were substitut-ed with new ones designed by the archi-

tect Carlo Fontana.Even so, the foun-tain you see todayis the result of atotal reconstructiondating from 1873that maintained the17th century aspectbut utilized graybardiglio marbleinstead of the tradi-tional travertine. Onthe octagonal basin,four inscriptions sumup the fountain’scomplex history.Along Via dellaScala, before reach-ing Porta Settimiana,turn into ViaGaribaldi that willtake you to the top

of the Janiculum hill to see the famous“Fontanone” which is actually the monu-mental fountain placed at the end of theconduits of the Traiano Paolo Aqueduct. Starting from 1608, in order to providean adequate water supply to the westernsection of the city, Pope Paul VBorghese promoted the difficult task ofrestoring the aqueduct of Trajan. Built in109 AD by the Emperor Trajan, theaqueduct was fed by the Vicarellosprings near the lake of Bracciano, andreached the top of the Janiculum in corre-spondence to today’s Porta San Pancrazio.Its total course covered 57 khilometres,partially underground and partially above

Piazza S.Maria in Trastevere

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ground, on elevated arches. Cut by the Goths under Witigis in 537,the aqueduct was restored numeroustimes during the Middle Ages, but onlyat the time of Paul V were the ancientconduits almost entirely redone. Theproject was entrusted to the architectGiovanni Fontana, an expert inhydraulics, in collaboration withFlaminio Ponzio, who designed thefountain where the aqueduct ended itscourse on the Janiculum. The architec-tural structure of the fountain clearlyrecalls the Fountain of Moses in PiazzaSan Bernardo erected by Pope Sixtus Vin 1585, although the lack of proportionand the clumsiness so evident there werecorrected. It was inspired by ancientRoman triumphal arches and presentsthree large central openings flanked bytwo others smaller in size. Six columnsfrom the old basilica of St. Peter were

placed in between the arches, whereasthe rest of the material was taken fromthe Roman Forum. The central archeshave three large windows that originallyoffered a glimpse of the lush vegetationof the garden at the back producing alovely effect. The animated upper sec-tion is decorated with two colossal fig-ures of Winged Fame by the Milanesesculptor Ippolito Buzio, placed on thesides of the coat of arms of Pope Paul V.Inaugurated in 1612, the fountain wassubstantially modified in 1690, whenCarlo Fontana substituted the five smallbasins beneath each arch with a singlebasin that widens at the centre.Having returned to Porta Settimiana,continue along Via della Lungara up toLargo Cristina di Svezia and theentrance to the Botanical Garden(06.49917107). Since 1883, this impor-tant university institution has been

The Fontanone on the Janiculum

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S housed in the area previously occupiedby the historic gardens of PalazzoCorsini of which large sections stillexisted. The gardens were knownalready in the 16th century and werewidely restored by the architectFerdinando Fuga in 1741. In his lovelyscenographic layout of the slope of theJaniculum, Fuga also included the beau-tiful Fountain of the Tritons where ahigh jet of water spouts from two traver-tine tritons on a rock placed in a quatre-foil basin.In line with this charming fountain, Fugadesigned an avenue that leads uphill to amonumental staircase with three ramps.At the centre of the last ramp stands theFountain of the 11 Jets. Made up of a series of six staggered cupsfrom which eleven jets of water spout, thefountain recalls famous examples such asthe “Boiling Fountain” in the Villa D’Estein Tivoli and the “Water Staircase” in the

Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati. Continuing along Via della Lungara, pastPiazza della Rovere, you will reach theSanto Spirito in Sassia Hospital.Founded in the 8th century , the hospitalwas entirely rebuilt by Pope Sixtus IV.The members of religious orders,monks and nuns, who worked in theinstitution, were provided with twoseparate structures arranged aroundtwo cloisters. Enter into the “cloister ofthe nuns” by passing through the hos-pital building to see the gracefulFountain of the Dolphins. It was builttowards the middle of the 16th centuryand is named after the four dolphinsthat support the circular basin withmasks.Attached to the hospital complex is thePalace of the Commendatore, built in1562 as a residence for the head of theorganization of the institute. Passingthrough Borgo Santo Spirito, you can

Fountain of the Tritons

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look into the courtyard and catch aglimpse of a charming fountain setagainst the wall at the far end in 1677.Made in 1614, under Pope Paul V toadorn the Vatican, it was removed dur-ing the construction of the colonnadein St. Peter’s square. The elaboratefountain is decorated with seashells,masks, grotesques and pensile basinsand placed in a niche encrusted withcoloured pebbles.Continuing through Borgo SantoSpirito, reach St. Peter’s Square, andthe two practically identical fountainsstanding on the sides of the ellipticalcolonnade designed by Bernini.Since 1490, a fountain made up of twocircular basins had stood in front of theold basilica of St.Peter. In 1614, fol-lowing restoration by Carlo Madernowhich gave it its present aspect, it wasfed by the Acqua Paola. When PopeAlexander VII Chigi asked GianLorenzo Bernini to design the newelliptical square, was moved to the left

side. Only in 1675 was the secondfountain, made by the architect CarloFontana under the supervision ofBernini, placed on the other side of thesquare in perfect axis and almost iden-tical in shape to the first one. Bothconsist of a large mixtilinear basinwith an octagonal pedestal supportinga round basin. The pedestal of thefountain on the right shows the coat ofarms of Pope Paul V Borghese and re-utilized the ancient granite basin of the15th century fountain. The one on theleft instead bears the coat of arms ofPope Clement X Altieri and its circularbasin was made newly in travertine.Both have a stem at the centre withfour spirals supporting the secondbasin made of a single block of gran-ite, the surface of which is carved inlarge scales, and with the concave partfacing down. In this way, the watergushing from the seven spouts createsa multitude of splashes and refracts thelight with a lovely effect.

St. Peter’s Square viewed from the dome

Fountain of the Turtles in Piazza Mattei

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RomaThe culture of water

Itinerary 4

The itinerary starts from the PalatineBridge, erected in 1886 by AngeloVescovali in place of the nearby dilapi-dated Emilius Bridge, the first stonebridge built in Rome. Dating from in the2nd century BC, it was destroyed manytimes by the pressure of the river.Reconstructed in 1575 by Pope GregoryXIII Boncompagni, whose coat of armsis visible on the only surviving arch, thestructure was demolished again by thedisastrous flood of 1598 and rebuilt withwooden trusses. In the 19th century aniron bay was added to the two survivingancient arches before being eliminatedduring the construction of the newPalatine Bridge. The Emilius Bridge islittle more than a ruin today and theRomans casually refer to it as theBroken Bridge.From the Palatine Bridge, facing the leftembankment of the Tiber, it is possibleto see the outlet into the river of theCloaca Maxima, the largest conduit fordrainage of waste water ever created by

the Romans. Built according to traditionat the end of the 7th century BC byTarquinus Priscus, the Cloaca was origi-nally a simple open-air channel used toreclaim the marshy area of the RomanForum. Restored in the 3rd century andstill partially functioning today, the con-duit started its course in the Suburra, thelower-class neighbourhood at the foot ofthe Esquiline. From there it passedbeneath the Forum of Nerva and theRoman Forum, reached the Velabro andended in the Tiber in correspondence tothe Emilius Bridge (now the BrokenBridge). The outlet shows a round archand three arched lintels in peperino stoneinserted in a wall of tufa blocks fromGrotta Oscura. Unfortunately, it isn’tpossible to see the channel that runsabout ten metres below the present streetlevel and measures an average threemetres in height and width.. Referring tothis magnificent work, in the 6th centuryCassiodorus wrote: “Which city cancompete with Rome in what is above

FROM PONTE PALATINO TO CAMPIDOGLIO

Piazza del Campidoglio

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ground if what is below the ground isbeyond comparison?”In the lovely setting of the nearby Piazzadella Bocca della Verità, dominated bythe church and the elegant round templededicated to Hercules the Victor, standsthe Fountain of the Tritons, designedby Carlo Bizzaccheri in 1717. The largebasin has a peculiar octagonal shapeintended by the architect as a tribute tothe pope who commissioned the work:Clement XI Albani whose coat of armsbears an eight-pointed star in addition tohills. Bizzaccheri had the sculptorFilippo Bai carve the central groupabove travertine blocks emerging fromthe basin. Two tritons are supported bythese rocks clearly recalling thosedesigned by Bernini for the Fountain ofthe Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. Thetritons are represented from the back,their intertwined tails supporting thelarge basin in the shape of an openseashell. The basin is decorated withundulated borders and lines and showstwo large coats of arms of the Albanipope in which the heraldic “hills”, alsoterminate in the upper part, where thewater spurts out.

At the same time, Bizzaccheri designedanother structure to be used as a drinkingtrough by the herds of cattle present in thecity at the time. When the “Lungotevere”was built, the trough, the only one left inRome, was moved to the nearbyLungotevere Aventino, where it can stillbe seen. The Forum Boarium also con-tains the Temple known as FortunaVirilis, built in the 4th century BC near theriver port, the portus Tiberinus. The rec-tangular-shaped temple was dedicated toPortunus, patron god of river access andsea commerce; it was restored in the 1st

century BC, when it acquired the aspect itmaintains to this day.The building is elevated on a brickworkpodium covered with slabs of travertine.The Ionic columns of the atrium and atthe corners of the cella are also in traver-tine, whereas the semi-columns and therest of the structure are in tufa from theAniene quarries, with the bases and thecapitals in stuccoed travertine. The tem-ple was transformed into a churchalready in the 9th century and is almost

Fountain of the Tritons

Temple of the Fortuna Virilis

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entirely preservedwith the exceptionof the staircase atthe front that datesfrom a modernreconstruction. From the Lungotevereyou can reach theIsland in theTiber that, by fa-cilitating the cross-ing of the riverwith planks andmakeshift bridges,had a fundamentalrole in the city’sdevelopment sinceits earliest days.On the right side,the island is connected to the mainland bythe Cestius bridge (46 BC), on the leftside by the Fabricius bridge, the most an-cient Roman bridge(62 BC). Accordingto tradition, this volcanic island datesback to the 6th century BC. Its peculiarshape resembling a ship, was actuallyman-made to recall the vessel thatbrought to Rome the snake of Escu-lapius, the god of medicine, in the hopesof freeing the city from the plague. Itwas at this point that the snake is said tohave jumped off the ship and where atemple dedicated to the god was built inlater times. An obelisk placed at the cen-tre of the island simulated the main mastof the ship, whereas the two bridges onthe sides represented the moors. Having left the Island in the Tiber bycrossing the Fabricius Bridge, reachPiazza di Monte Savello, where the Por-tico of Octavia begins. From here, fol-low Via San’Ambrogio or Via Reginellato Piazza Mattei to see the Fountain ofthe Turtles, one of the most loved by theRomans. It was made between 1581 and1588 by Giacomo Della Porta and Tad-deo Landini who executed the sculpturesrepresenting four bronze youths balan-

ced on four shells made of African mar-ble. The young men were to have sup-ported four dolphins, never actuallymade. During the restoration that tookplace in 1658, perhaps Gian LorenzoBernini himself added the turtles showndrinking from the upper basin. Accor-ding to an urban legend, Duke AntonioMattei lost his entire fortune gamblingand was compelled to call off his wed-

Island in the Tiber

Ponte Fabricio

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ding to a beautiful and wealthy girl. Toshow his power even in financial dis-grace, the duke had the fountain madeover night and invited his future father-in-law and his daughter to the house ofGiacomo Mattei where he resided. Heasked them to look out of the windowwith the best view of the fountain andexclaimed: “This is what a pennilessMattei can achieve in a few hours!”.Naturally apologies were immediatelymade, the wedding took place and, in me-mory of that day, the duke had the windowoverlooking the square walled.The small but el-egant fountain isa true gem ofRenaissance art;its lively figures,perfectly integrat-ed in the surround-ing space, antici-pate the great sea-son of Baroque art.From Piazza Mat-tei the walk contin-ues along Via deiFunari, through Pi-azza Lovatelli andthen to Piazza diCampitelli whereyou will find alovely but un-known fountain.Designed by Giacomo della Porta in1589 and executed by the stone-cutterPompilio de Benedetti, the fountainoriginally stood at the centre of thesquare. In 1679, following the enlarge-ment of the church of Santa Maria inCampitelli, Pope Innocent XI had itmoved to its present location so that theshouts of the coach drivers who drovearound it with their carriages wouldn’tdisturb mass. Commissioned by thefamilies Capizzucchi, Muti, Albertoniand Ricci who owned the palaces in thesquare, the elegant fountain consists of

an octagonal base in travertine. The ac-tual basin is placed above it and is alsooctagonal in shape, adorned with twomasks with thick lips and donkey ears,in alternation with the coat of arms ofthe noble families, the Senate and thePeople of Rome who financed thework. A round basin from which waterspurts, supported by a marblebalustrade in the shape of a chalicedecorated with garlands and festoons,forms the upper section of the fountain.At this point continue towards Piazzad’Aracoeli, by walking along Via Capiz-

zucchi and Via Tri-buna di Torde’Specchi. On theleft of the square,half-hidden by cars,you will find theFountain of theAra Coeli by Gia-como Della Porta,commissioned byPope Sixtus VPeretti in 1589. Ex-ecuted by AndreaBrasca, Pietro Gucciand Pace Naldini, thefountain was restorednumerous times, espe-cially under PopeAlexander VII Chigiand Clement XI Al-

bani. After the construction of the VictorEmmanuel Monument and the conse-quential relocation of the monumentsin the square, the two steps at the baseof the ancient basin of the originalfountain that repeated the shape of thebasin in the form of an elongated qua-trefoil, were lost. The present fountainhas a marble basin containing a traver-tine cube decorated with masks andgarlands that in its turn supports achalice in travertine with the coat ofarms of Pope Alexander VII. Anotherbasin sustains four awkward cherubs

Fountain in Piazza Campitelli

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pouring water from their wineskins.From Piazza d’Aracoeli, the rampdesigned by Michelangelo leads to theCampidoglio, the top of the Capitolinehill. At its base, in Via Teatro diMarcello, you can see the Fountainsof the Lions. The two lions made ofblack basalt veined in red fromNumidia, were taken from the templeof Isis and Serapis in the CampusMartius and donated by Pope PiusMedici to the Roman people to embel-lish the ramp of the Campidoglio. Notconceived as fountains, the lions wereprovided with bases only in 1582 andwith water in 1587. According to tra-dition, on very special occasions, suchas the election of Pope Innocent XPamphilj and Clement X Altieri, thefountains spurted wine “one red andthe other white for the great joy of thepeople, men and women of all ages,who hurried there with cups and flasksto drink merrily, as others raced andelbowed there way to fill their stom-achs and tankards”.The walk ends in the 16th century Piaz-za del Campidoglio where the Foun-tain of the Goddess Rome stands at thecentre of the double staircase of PalazzoSenatorio. The niche designed byMichelangelo flanked by pilasters, con-

tains the ancientwhite marble andporphyry statue fromthe town of Cori rep-resenting a seatedMinerva. Michelan-gelo had not includ-ed a fountain in theproject for the newlayout of the palaz-zo, perhaps becauseit was not possibleto bring runningwater to the top ofthe hill. It was Mat-

teo da Città di Castellowho gave the fountain its presentaspect in 1588 and it was thus thatthe statue of Minerva was trans-formed into the goddess Rome, witha lance and a sphere, and two super-imposed basins were added to collectwater. The statues of the Tigris andthe Nile from the baths of Constan-tine on the Quirinal hill were placedon the sides. The sculpture of theNile on the left is recognizable bythe sphinx and the cornucopia andwas left untouched, whereas theTigris on the right was transformedinto the Tiber by adding the she-wolfand the twins Romulus and Remus,founders of the city.

Fountain of the Goddess Rome

Fountains of the Lions

Piazza Navona

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RomaThe culture of water

Itinerary 5

The itinerary starts at n. 62 of Via delGesù, at Palazzo Muti Cesi Berardi.Erected in the 16th century by Giacomodella Porta, the palace has maintainedits courtyard with the hydro-chronometer, or water clock, built in1870 by the Dominican priest GiovanniBattista Embriaco.The priest was born in Ceriana, nearSanremo, in 1829 and created otherhydro-chronometers, like the monu-mental one in the Pincio gardens thatwas greatly admired by Napoleon IIIwhen it was taken to Paris for display in1867. The clock is inserted in a charm-ing setting made up of a niche culmi-nating with a seashell. On the sides twocaryatids support marble busts. In thelower part, a little seal in a bowl spurtswater into the lower basin. From Via del Gesù, passing by Piazzadella Pigna, you will reach Via dellaPigna where you can see remains of theBaths of Agrippa in the nearby Viadell’Arco della Ciambella. Agrippa,Emperor Augustus’ son-in-law, built the

baths between 25 and 19 BC at thesame time as the construction of theAqueduct of the Virgo Aqueduct that,from the springs of Salone reached thecity and fed the baths. Of the bath com-plex, the most ancient in Rome, only asection of the circular hall, originallycovered by a dome measuring 35metres in diameter, is still visible today.In the 17th century it was still standingand its “round” structure gave the streetits name (“ciambella” is the Italianword for any ring-shaped object). Thebaths must have been sumptuously dec-orated with marble and statues, amongthem the famous bronze of theApoxyomenos by Lysippus, an extraor-dinary work known only through themarble copy in the Vatican Museums.Along the western side of the complex,there also used to be the “Stagno diAgrippa”, the Pool of Agrippa, a smallartificial lake, like a pool, where theclients of the baths could go swimming.The Euripos, an open channel, flankedby benches and bridges to cross it, car-ried the water of the Stagnum to theTiber.From Via dell’Arco della Cimabella,passing through Via dei Cestari, reachPiazza della Minerva, dominated by thebare facade of the church on whichnumerous “flood plaques” indicate thelevel of the water during flooding of the

FROM VIA DEL GESÙ TO CAMPO DE’ FIORI

Hydro-chronometer

Flood plaques

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Tiber. The most dramatic ones refer to1598 (19.56 metres), 1530 (18.95),1422 (17.32).The nearby Piazza della Rotonda wasnamed after the main structure of thePantheon, and is adorned at the centrewith a fountain commissioned in 1575by Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagniand designed by Giacomo della Porta.The large basin in dull gray Africanmarble has a peculiar multi-lobed shapeand is decoratedwith four groupsof masks and dol-phins made in the19th century inimitation of theoriginals carvedby Leonardo Sor-mani in the 16th

century and nowin Villa Borghese.The fountain wasenriched with acentral rock sup-porting an Egypt-ian obelisk in1711 when Filip-po Barigioni re-stored it for PopeClement XI Al-bani. The obeliskoriginated in He-liopolis at thetime of Ramses II, and was brought toRome by the Emperor Domitian whoerected it in the Iseo Campense, whereit was found in the 14th century.In the close-by Via di Sant’Eustachioyou will find some columns from theBaths of Nero, the second bath com-plex built in Rome after Agrippa’s. Ofthe imposing structure, lavishly deco-rated, as Martial tells us in his verses,“What was worse than Nero? And whatwas better than his baths?”, nothinghas survived. Initially built before 64AD and destroyed by a fire in 80 AD,the baths were rebuilt in the 3rd centu-

ry by the Emperor Alexander Severuswho maintained the exact plan that forthe first time in the history of architec-ture, saw the main rooms arrangedalong a central axis and the female andmale sections symmetrically located onthe two sides. To bring water to the newbaths, Alexander Severus ordered theconstruction of the Alexandrian Aque-duct whose springs are near the town ofColonna, north of Rome. Following the

cutting of the aque-duct under Witigis,the baths were aban-doned and in theMiddle Ages achurch was actuallybuilt over the ruins.All that is left are twogranite columns withwhite marble capitalsset against the rightside of the Church ofSant’Eustachio; twoother columns fromthe same structureare now in thepronaos of the Pan-theon where, in1666, they replacedthe seriously dam-aged originals. Thesplendid granitebasin on a modern

octagonal structure in the nearby Viadegli Staderari also comes from thesame source. In the same street you cansee the small fountain of the Sant’Eusta-chio district, built in 1927. It is calledFountain of the Books because of itsproximity to the complex of Sant’Ivoalla Sapienza, at one time the seat of theUniversity of Rome, and is decoratedwith three volumes and a deer’s head. From Via degli Staderari reach CorsoRinascimento, cross and arrive at Piaz-za Navona through the Corsia Agonale.This beautiful square extends over asurface of about 13,000 metres and is

Fountain of the Books

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decorated with three fountains along itslonger axis. They were built for the firsttime in the 15th century as simple basinsused as a watering place for animalsand for activities connected with themarket that had been moved there fromthe Capitoline in 1477. At the end of the16th century, Pope Gregory XIII Bon-compagni, after restoring the VirgoAqueduct, decided to bring water intothe square, which was then providedwith larger fountains designed by Gia-como della Porta. The central basin re-mained as a watering place for horses.The two fountains by Della Porta ini-tially consisted of a simple mixtilinearbasin in “portasanta” marble, elevatedon steps and surrounded by a balustradein travertine to protect it from the im-pact of passing carriages and wagons.In the 17th century the fountains weremodified by restoration: the one infront of the Brazilian Embassy was em-bellished with a statue representing aTriton struggling with a dolphin. The

fountain’s particularname of “Moor”derives from theparticular facial fea-tures of the seamonster sculpted byAntonio Mari after adrawing by GianLorenzo Bernini.The decoration wasconcluded by fourtritons and fourlarge ornamentalmasks, moved tothe Garden of theLake in VillaBorghese in the 19th

century and re-placed with copiesby Luigi Amici.On the northernside of the squareyou will find theFountain of Nep-

tune, initially called of the Calderaribecause of its proximity to the work-shops of the artisans who worked withcopper. It remained bare until the 19th

century when it was decorated with thestatue of Neptune struggling with anoctopus, by Antonio della Bitta andnereids, cherubs and seahorses by Gre-gorio Zappalà. Yet the most famousfountain in the square is the one at thecentre. It was created by Gian LorenzoBernini for Pope Innocent X Pamphilj,who owned the palace on the left of theimposing Church of Saint Agnes. Inau-gurated in 1651, the fountain representsthe Four Rivers that stand for the fourcontinents known at the time. In factthey represent the entire universe, dom-inated by the church of Rome, in theperson of the pope, who is at its serv-ice. Certain heraldic elements referringto the Pamphilj family, such as thedove with the olive branch in its beak,are visible at the top of the obelisk, asymbol of sunlight. The statue of the

Fountain of the Moor

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Rio de la Plata, which stands for Amer-ica, is in front of the church. Accordingto tradition Bernini carved the arm ofthe statue lifted up to protect itself fromthe imminent collapse of the churchthat had been enlarged and reconstruct-ed by his great rival Borromini. Theother statues represent the Gangeswhose oar refers to its navigability(Asia), and the Danube with the horsethat stands for those raised in its areathat were among the best in Europe.Africa is represented by the Nile, with apalm tree, and a lion, and a veil over itsface because at that time the source ofthe river was yet to be discovered. Thered granite obelisk was made in Romein the 1st century AD and placed in theCircus of Maxentius on the Appian Way

in the 4th century before being trans-ferred here to celebrate the glory of thePope.The itinerary continues to PiazzaCampo dei Fiori that can be reached bypassing through Via della Cuccagna,south of Piazza Navona and crossingCorso Vittorio Emanuele II.When, in 1887, a monument dedicatedto the philosopher Giordano Bruno,burnt at the stake as a heretic on thissite on January 17th, 1600, was set uphere, the preexisting fountain, wasremoved. Made by Giacomo della Portain 1590 for Pope Gregory XIIIBoncompagni, it was reassembled infront of the Chiesa Nuova where it stillstands. In 1622 a lid was placed on it -making it look like a tureen - because

Fountain of the Rivers

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the local women would not refrain fromusing it for their laundry. Campo de’Fiori remained without afountain until 1924, when the munici-pality decided to have a new one set upon the side towards Piazza dellaCancelleria. Fed by the Acqua Paola, thesimple granite fountain consists of aquatrefoil basin supported by a square-

based pedestal standing on an oval basindecorated with marble handles and tiles.It is worth mentioning that the base-ment of the Palazzo della Cancelleriastill contains remains of the Euripus,the ancient channel, once open, thatcarried water from the artificial lake ofAgrippa to the Tiber. Recent excava-tions have helped to establish the

course of this ex-traordinary struc-ture as well as theexact location ofthe Baths of Agrip-pa, that spread outbetween Largo diTorre Argentina,Via di Santa Chiaraand Via dei Cestariand were boundedon the southern sideby the Hecatosty-lum, the porticowith one hundredcolumns that stoodby the Theatre ofPompey.Fountain of Via degli Staderari

Fountain of Neptune

Fountain of the Tyrrhenian at the Vittoriano

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Itinerary 6

Piazza Venezia is the site of the largestmonument in the centre of Rome: theVittoriano, built starting from the endof the 19th century to celebrate the firstking of Italy, Victor Emanuel II. At thebase of the monument, two ornamentalfountains represent the Adriatic Sea, onthe left and the Tyrrhenian Sea on theright, and refer to the new Italy, unitedand free. Both made in 1911, the foun-tains are set on a pyramid-shaped baseagainst which the basin is placed. TheFountain of the Adriatic is by EmilioQuadrelli who conceived a seated fig-ure similar to an ancient river god, fac-ing the east and intent on stroking theVenetian lion of Saint Mark. PietroCanonica executed the Fountain of theTyrrhenian represented by a seatedman with a she-wolf resting at his feet.In the courtyard of the Palazzo Venezia,whose entrance is in Piazza San Marcon.47, you can see the Fountain ofVenice, built in 1730 by Carlo Monaldi

for the Venetian ambassador BarbonMorosini who lived in the palace. Thepalace itself was constructed towardsthe middle of the 15th century by thecardinal Pietro Barbo, who laterbecame Pope Paul II. Given to theVenetian Republic a century later as aseat for the Venetian ambassadors inRome, it acquired the name of PalazzoVenezia. After an interval as propertyof the Hapsburg empire, in 1929 BenitoMussolini chose it as headquarters ofthe Fascist government and addressedthe crowds from the famous balcony.During the venetian period, the build-ing underwent numerous transforma-tions and embellishments, including theaddition of a fountain in the garden in1730. Still visible today, it consists of awide basin flanked by benches decorat-ed with cherubs holding the symbols ofthe lands conquered by Venice(Dalmatia, Morea, Candia and Cyprus).At the centre, on a double seashell sup-

FROM PIAZZA VENEZIA TO PIAZZA DEL POPOLO

The Vittoriano

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ported by Tritons, stands a sculpture ofthe Wedding of Venice to the Sea. Thepersonification of the city is recogniza-ble by the lion of St. Mark’s at its feetand the doge’s hat on its head. Return to Piazza San Marco and lookout for the Fountain of the PignaNeighbourhood, past the garden, infront of the Vittoriano. It is one of themost successful creations of PietroLombardi, the Roman architect whodevoted himself to the design of littleneighbourhood fountains after winningthe contest for the Fountain of theAmphorae in Piazza dell’Emporio in1926. The eight fountains he createdare scattered throughout the city. Eachconsists of an original and essentialsculpture symbolic of the area it repre-sents. According to tradition, the nameof this neighbourhood derives from thelarge bronze sculpture of a pinecone(“pigna” in Italian) found near theBaths of Agrippa, by the Pantheon andtoday in the Courtyard of the Pineconein the Vatican. The name more realisti-cally refers to the Vigna (the Italianword for vineyard), later corrupted into“pigna”, of Tedemario that extendedfrom the area of Sant’Eustachio to this

neighbourhood. Made in 1927 intravertine, the small fountain consistsof a pinecone and two stylized tulips ina vase. Because of its location, thefountain is a strategic landmark forappointments for both Romans and for-eigners.At this point, walk along the Via delCorso up to the corner of Via Latawhere on the side of the 17th centuryPalazzo De Carolis, seat of the Bancadi Roma, you will find the Fountain ofthe Porter. Along with MadamaLucrezia, Abate Luigi, Marforio,Babuino and Pasquino, this is one ofthe city’s “talking fountains”. For cen-turies political satires, known aspasquinades, written by the Romans toridicule the authorities, were attachedto these statues. The Facchino (porter)was made in the 16th century and prob-ably designed by Jacopo Del Duca.Initially located on Via del Corso, onthe facade of Palazzo Grifoni destroyedto make room for Palazzo de Carolis),the little fountain was moved to ViaLata in 1872 to protect it from the car-riages that scraped against it and fromvandals who threw stones at it. It repre-sents a porter holding a barrel with ahole in it from which water comes outand falls into the semicircular basin.The porter, whose face is completelydisfigured, wears the typical outfit ofthe water-carriers. Their guild musthave had its seat in the nearby Piazzadel Collegio Romano, where a largegroup of porters from Valtellinaresided. An ancient inscription, at onetime placed near the fountain and nowlost, recalled a certain Abbondio Rizzo,a porter known for his amazing muscu-lar strength and his propensity for get-ting drunk and who one day, as he wascarrying a barrel of wine on his shoul-der and another one against his side,died suddenly “without wanting to”.The Fountain of the Porter was semi-public, in the sense that it was fed with

Fountain of the Pigna

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water from the public water conduit ofTrevi, but its maintenance was theresponsibility of the family who ownedthe building though they were exoner-ated from utilization taxes.Continue along Via del Corso and reachPiazza Colonna with the elegant foun-tain made by Giacomo della Porta atthe end of the 16th century. Officialfountain designer of Rome, thisGenoese architect was the main protag-onist of urban design in his time. Theproject for the fountain made for PopeGregory XIII Boncompagni initiallyincluded the placing of the statue ofMarforio, found in the Roman Forumnear the Arch of Septimius Severus(now in the Palazzo Nuovo of theCapitoline Museums) in the basin.According to the same project, thefountain should have been placed at thefoot of the Column of Marcus Aurelius,but probably did not meet the approvalof the pope who set it up where it isnow. Unadorned by massive decorativeelements, only the large octagonal

basin in “portasanta” marble withbands and lion’s heads in white marbleare original. In the 19th century smallsculptures with dolphins and seashellsby Achille Stocchi were added onto thesides and in the 20th century the centralbasin from which water gushes forth.Return to Via del Corso and continueuntil you arrive at n.19 of Via diFontanella Borghese, where you willfind Palazzo Borghese. The gardencontains a splendid nymphaeum fromthe 17th century, often closed to the pub-lic. Past the first courtyard, with a log-gia and portico on two levels, you reachthe garden with three beautiful baroquefountains, recently restored. Set upagainst the perimeter wall, they are allcomposed of a niche containing statuesat the centre representing, starting fromthe fountain on the left, Abundance orFlora, the Bath of Venus and Diana. Onthe sides of the niches, couples of nudeyoung men hold garlands of fruit thatdescend from the upper tympanum,which in its turn is decorated with anaedicule containing a bust, cherubs andyouths in alternation with dragons andeagles from the coat of arms of theBorghese family. The conclusion of thecomplex decorative phase of thenymphaeum is the work of CarloRainaldi who elaborated a precedingproject by Johann Paul Schor, known asGiovanni Paolo Tedesco, an Austrian.After starting construction, the artistwas criticized for overdoing it with odddecorations, forced to leave the palazzoand to let Rainaldi take his place. Thesculptures in the niches were made byFrancesco Cavallini, Leonardo Reti andFilippo Carcani who fully respected thecanon of baroque sculpture.From Piazza Borghese, the itineraryproceeds towards Piazza del Porto diRipetta whose name recalls the famousport built in 1704 by AlessandroSpecchi and destroyed in the 19th centu-ry when the avenues along the riverFountain of the Porter

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were constructed. The fountainreassembled here around 1930 afterbeing dismantled to facilitate work onthe river banks, only partially recallsthe original aspect of the Fountain ofthe Navigators, also erected byAlessandro Specchi by the Port ofRipetta. A rock supporting a seashelland two dolphins emerges from an ovalbasin. The wrought iron lantern wasadded towards the middle of the 18th

century to aid the docking of ships atnight. The two columns standing nearthe fountain were also set up in the Portof Ripetta in 1704 and moved here dur-ing the construction of the embank-ments. They indicate the highest levelsreached by the floods of the Tiber,along with the names of the popes rul-ing at the time.On the right hand side of the Church ofSan Rocco, a tall hydrometer, built in1821, instead has a scale indicating thelevels reached by the numerous floods,such as the one in 1598, that exceededfour metres!In Piazza San Rocco you will also findthe Fountain of the Botticella (Italianfor “small barrel”), built in 1774 by

order of Pope Clement XIV Ganganelli.It was initially placed against thefacade of Palazzo Valdambrini thatused to stand between the two churchesand was then destroyed. Rebuilt in itspresent location, it was inserted in theniche of the supporting pilaster of thearch next to the Church of Saint Rocco.The fountain represents the head of aporter pouring water into a basin sup-ported by a barrel. It recalls theFountain of the Porter in via Lata, andis probably also connected with theactivities of loading and unloading bar-rels, often containing wine, that tookplace in the area of Ripetta.Cross Piazza Augusto Imperatore, passthrough Largo dei Lombardi and reachPalazzo Gomez Silj at n.78/a of Viadella Croce. The building was designedin 1678 by Antonio De Rossi and aquick glance into the courtyard, rich inancient decorations and sculptures, issufficient to enjoy the peculiar fountainmade from a classical sarcophagusadorned with hunting scenes and sur-mounted by a bride and groom lying ontheir sides.Return to Via del Corso and continueyour walk up to Palazzo Rondinini at n.518. The building, famous for havinglong housed Michelangelo’s PietàRondinini, now in the CastelloSforzesco in Milan, was constructed inthe 18th century by incorporating thesmall palazzo the Cavalier D’Arpinohad built here for himself in the early17th century. The courtyard was once areal open air museum and is still todayrichly decorated with archeologicalfindings. The nymphaeum set againstthe wall was erected in 1764 by orderof the Marquis Giuseppe Rondininiwho at sixty married the twenty-year-old Irish beauty Elisabeth Kenneis, alsofamous for being the first foreignwoman to dive into the sea at Rimini.Giuseppe Rondinini was a great collec-

Fountain of Piazza Colonna

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tor of antiquities and dedicated thenymphaeum to the three classical godsBacchus, Venus and Apollo. Placed inthe niches of the fountain, the figurescan be identified by the their attributes:a panther for Bacchus, a cherub forVenus and a lyre for Apollo.From Via del Corso you finally reachPiazza del Popolo with the magnifi-cent Egyptian obelisk at the centre,made in the 14th century BC forPharaoh Seti, brought to Rome by Au-gustus to celebrate the conquest ofEgypt and placed in the Circus Max-

imus where itstayed until 1589, itwas moved here todecorate the simplefountain built in1572 by Giacomodella Porta. Thiswas one of theeighteen fountainsdesigned by the ar-chitect after therestoration of theVirgo Aqueductand was removedin 1823 to makeroom for the newornamental ele-ments of thesquare. It wasGiuseppe Valadier,commissioned byPope Leo XIIIdella Genga, whodesigned the proj-ect for the newlayout of the piaz-za that includedthe four roundtravertine basinsplaced on highsteps and sur-mounted by whitemarble lions in theEgyptian style. In

the semicircles on the sides of thesquare, Valadier inserted two fountainswith sculptures made by Giovanni Cec-carini and representing on the side fac-ing the Tiber, the God Neptune withTritons and towards the Pincian hill,the Goddess Rome flanked by personi-fications of the Tiber and the Aniene.Two smaller fountains are set againstthe sides of the Church of Santa Mariadel Popolo and the Barracks of theCarabinieri. Both of them are made ofancient sarcophagi with the portraits ofthe deceased.

Fountain of Piazza del Popolo

Ponte Milvio

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Itinerary 7

When Giovanni Maria Ciocchi delMonte, elected pope in 1550 with nameof Julius III, started the construction ofthe splendid Villa Giulia, he must haveconsidered the proximity of the site tothe conduits of the Virgo Aqueduct thatwere in fact used with great skill to cre-ate one of the most beautiful and origi-nal nymphaea of the Renaissance era.The novelty lies in the fact that untilthat time fountains and nymphaea hadall been set up in elevated positionswhereas this one had to be built byexploiting the natural depression wherethe water was. The clever architectssummoned to solve this difficult prob-lem were Giorgio Vasari, who probablyasked Michelangelo for advice,Giacomo Vignola and BartolomeoAmmannati.The villa, centred around thenymphaeum, is articulated around twocourtyards. The first one is formed bythe semicircle of the main building andopens onto a loggia that leads to the sec-ond space, that of the nymphaeum, anddefined by its contemporaries as a real“water theatre”. The space is divided

into three descending levels. The firstone corresponds to the loggia and isdecorated in the Ionic style, whereas thesecond, reached by two curved ramps,is in the Doric style. The ramps were atone time shaded by trees that created aneffect of darkness that must have madegoing down to the deepest level of the“Low Fountain” even more enchanting.Four caryatids guard the access to thisdusky semicircular area with niches inwhich water used to flow onto artificialrocks and into the basin obtained in themarble floor. Thanks to recent restora-tion, the scenographic whole, with itsskilful blend of architecture and nature,has recovered its indisputable charm.A section of the conduit of the VirgoAqueduct is still visible in the areabehind the Nymphaeum of Villa Giulia.The Virgo Aqueduct was built byMarcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 19 BC uti-lizing the springs at the eighth mile ofthe Via Collatina, near Salone. Legendhas it that the name Virgin refers to ayoung girl who indicated a spring toAgrippa’s soldiers where they couldrefresh themselves. The term refers

FROM VILLA GIULIA TO PONTE MILVIO

Villa Giulia

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more probably to the particular purityand lightness of the water, that beingvery low in calcium caused less damageto the conduits in time. It is in fact theonly one of the ancient Roman aque-ducts in continuos operation for twentycenturies; the springs were situated at avery low point with the conduits almostexclusively underground and so moreprotected from the destruction of warsand invasions.The aqueduct is about 20 kilometreslong and its course is rather complex.Although arriving from the east, itentered into the city from the north atthe Muro Torto after forming a widearch that from the Via Prenestina cutdiagonally through the Vie Tiburtina,Nomentana, and Salaria and reached theVia Flaminia.On the slopes of the Pincio, the waterwas channeled into a reservoir fromwhich its urban course began. Thereservoir itself, later known as the“Bottino” is still in existence and has

given its name to the street near Piazzadi Spagna. The course of the section,considered suburban in the past whenthe city had not yet spread that far, israther well known and partially accessi-ble. After reaching its maximum depthof around 30-40 metres in the Parioliarea, it gradually rises to a depth ofabout 5 metres in the vicinity of VillaGiulia. The section of conduit in “mixedstyle”, visible upon request at theNational Etruscan Museum housed inthe villa, was in fact found precisely atthat level.Leave Villa Giulia and proceed towardsVia di Villa Giulia, the road commis-sioned by Pope Julius III to arrive at hisproperties. At present it ends at theintersection with Via Flaminia but itused to continue right up to the banks ofthe Tiber where a small port allowed thepope to reach his villa directly from theVatican by embarking at theSant’Angelo bridge.At the corner between Via di VillaGiulia and Via Flaminia the pope built afountain for “public convenience”. Withthis gesture he tried to make amends fordepriving the population of an enor-mous amount of water from the VirgoAqueduct which he used for the spec-tacular nymphaeum in his villa. Theproject of the Fountain of Pope JuliusIII, still visible today despite its radicalalterations, is generally attributed toBartolomeo Ammannati. It used to befree standing and consisted of a triplefacade in peperino on a single level. Thecentral section was occupied by aninscription dedicated to Julius III,whereas the side sections where deco-rated with statues. Water gushed forthfrom “a great, handsome, ancient headof Apollo that spurts water into a beau-tiful, large, granite vase”. The struc-ture, simple yet monumental, was great-ly modified in 1561, when the architectPirro Ligorio elevated it and built theNymphaeum of Villa Giulia

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Casino of Pius IV, today seat of theEmbassy of Italy to the Holy See, rightbehind it. At present it is divided intotwo levels. At the centre of the uppersection a plaque surmounted by twowinged victories recalls Cardinal CarloBorromeo, who commissioned thebuilding. In the lower part, instead ofthe original inscription dedicated toJulius III, a large plaque mentions thename of Filippo Colonna, who inheritedthe Casino, and substituted the ancientgranite vase with another basin and thehead of Apollo with a large ornamentalmask bearing the heraldic symbols ofthe Colonna family.In front of his fountain, Julius III hadplaced a drinking trough for animals.After acquiring a more sumptuousaspect through restorations ordered byCardinal Federico Borromeo in the 17th

century and documented by drawings of

the period, the fountain underwent aseries of modifications that havereduced it to the rather pitiful state itmaintains to this day. It consists in factof a simple rectangular basin surmount-ed by a composition made in 1932 withtwo semi-basins that pour water inanother basin at the centre.At this point the itinerary continuesalong the straight stretch of the ViaFlaminia, but you can also turn left andreach the Lungotevere and proceedalong the river and the imposingembankments that contain it. The building of the embankments of theLungotevere was made necessary tofinally solve the problem of the constantand devastating floods that paralyzedthe life of the city for weeks, but it didnot meet everybody’s approval. In par-ticular, the massive retaining walls andquays caused the loss of a millennial tie

Fountain of Pope Julius III

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between Rome and the Tiber, alongwith the almost total disappearance ofevery activity along the river. For safe-ty reasons, in fact, all the floating struc-tures, such as the water mills and themoorings that had for centuries been atypical feature of the banks of the Tiber,were removed. Strange though it mayseem, considering the present level ofpollution, there used to be rather rudi-mentary bathing establishments docu-mented as far back as the 18th century,also by Goethe who remembered how“in the evening I go for a swim in theTiber where there are these safe andcomfortable dressing rooms”. This age-old presence on the river is carried ontoday, even if for purely recreationalpurposes, by the numerous bargesdocked along the banks where it is pos-sible to have a good time sunbathing,eating and at night, why not, even danc-ing. Among the new activities thatdeveloped along the Tiber, an importantplace was attributed already in the 19th

century to boating clubs. Today these

exclusive clubs, the most famous beingthe “Tevere Remo”, the “TirreniaTodaro” and the “Aniene”, own some ofthe best-equipped sports facilities inRome, and are located mainly betweenthe Lungotevere Prati and theLungotevere dell’Acqua Acetosa. After walking along the LungotevereFlaminio, past the Duca d’AostaBridge, the Lungotevere Thaon deRevel offers a splendid view of thefamous Ponte Milvio.The bridge was built in 109 BC by thecensor Marcus Emilius Scaurus inplace of a preexisting wooden structuredating from the 3rd century BC. Thename Milvio derives from the gensMolvia or Mulvia, the family to whichthe builder of the earlier bridge mayhave belonged. In the Middle Ages itwas called Molbius, Mole or Molle, aterm still present in popular usage.Its strategic position north of the citycaused it to become the site of famoushistorical events, such as the battle of312 between Constantine and

Barge on the Tiber

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RomaThe culture of water

Maxentius. The bridge featured also inthe Gothic wars, when in 537 Witigischose the surrounding area to set up hiscamp. In 799, instead, the clergy, thenobles and the population of Romegathered here to welcome the arrival ofCharlemagne.The original structure consisted of sixarches with four large ones at the cen-tre and two smaller ones at the bridge-heads, but was constantly modifiedespecially in the Middle Ages as itsdefensive function was increased. Forthis purpose, two towers were erectedat the extremities and the arches at thebridgeheads substituted with twomobile wooden bridges. The lastrestoration that gave the bridge itspresent aspect was carried out by thearchitect Luigi Valadier in 1805 on the

occasion of the return to Rome ofPope Pius VII Chiaramonti, who hadassisted at Napoleon’s crowning inParis. The bridge recovered its origi-nal six arches through the reconstruc-tion in brickwork of the smaller arch-es on the sides. A monumental gate inneoclassical style that recalls the tri-umphal arches of antiquity, was builtin place of the western tower. Theopposite bridgehead is decorated withtwo statues representing the VirginMary and Saint John Nepomucen, whoprotects the faithful from drowning.Since 1951 the Milvian Bridge hasbeen a pedestrian area with vehiculartraffic deviated towards the PonteFlaminio, the colossal work designedin 1932 by the architect ArmandoBrasini.

Ponte Flaminio

Ponte Sant’Angelo

The TiberLivy wrote:“Not without reason did gods and menchoose this place to found the city:extremely salubrious hills, a river suit-able for the transportation of goodsinland, and for receiving supplies fromoverseas; a place close enough to thecoast to exploit its advantages, but notexposed to the threat of enemy fleetsowing to its proximity to the centre ofItaly, ideal for the development of thecity, of which its greatness is evidence”.Virgil named the Tiber “GenitorUrbis”(father of the city), Martial calledit “sacred”, according to Pliny the Elderit was “born to rule always”, until itfinally became “divine”, summing upall the other definitions.Its current saved the twins Romulus andRemus, carrying them to the foot of thePalatine, the hill looking over the ford ofthe Island in the Tiber. Only from thatpoint was it possible to reach the saltpans, essential to the survival of allancient populations.For many centuries the Romans consid-ered the river a frontier and its right bankbecame part of the city only much later.Even foreign gods such as Esculapiusthe god of medicine, arrived in Romealong this great route of commerce andcommunication. The snake sacred to thegod, brought to Rome from Epidaurus toend a terrible plague, left the triremeboat that transported it and hid on theIsland in the Tiber.Esculapius had chosen this seat and histemple was built in 289 BC. From thatmoment the island became a healingsanctuary, an ideal place since the Tibergod himself guaranteed healing and the

isolation of the sick avoided dangerouscontagion of the rest of the population.The river was born from the bowels ofthe earth, emanating from the god of theunderworld and was for this reasonendowed with a double aspect: fertilityand ruin.The ancients considered crossing it anact of disrespect and the building ofbridges required the favour of the godsthat could be obtained only through thecelebration of solemn propitiatory rites.In ancient Rome this task was entrustedto the most important order of priests,the “Pontifixes”.The ancient bridges stand to this day asproof of the extraordinary buildingcapacities of the Romans: none of thefloods of the Tiber ever damaged theAelian Bridge, better known today asthe Sant’Angelo Bridge. Built to allowthe Romans to approach Hadrian’sMausoleum, the bridge remained forcenturies the fastest course to reach theBasilica of Saint Peter, and it was pre-cisely the bridge, the Tiber and theMausoleum that led the popes to choosethe Vatican as their residence. TheSant’Angelo Bridge still remains one ofthe most charming spots to cross theriver.In more recent times, until the end of the19th century, another means of crossingthe Tiber was provided by the “barchet-te” (little boats), a sort of public trans-port service contracted out by theApostolic Chamber to private compa-nies, that ferried people from one bankof the river to the other. Scene of fero-cious crimes and dramatic accidents duemainly to overloading, the boat service

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modified, and the many beaches thatbrought recreation to the Romans dis-appeared. The banks of the Tiber todaysum up the image of a more organizedcity as conceived by the culture of thelate 19th century. The Tiber continues to mirror anupside-down reflection of the Romanskyline, with its domes, statues, roofs,bridges and its millennial history.A history made up of monuments but ofpeople as well.A history of which the river has beenand continues to be a witness.A witness of the encounter and clash ofdifferent populations, of the alternationof civilizations and states.Navigation, abandoned for over a cen-tury, finally returns bringing new life tothe river, and maybe allowing Romansand visitors to rediscover the life thatflows along it. The Tiber will onceagain recover the central role it hasalways played in the history of thisextraordinary city.

was outlawed on many occasions untilit finally disappeared in the late 1800s.The god Tiber, source of commerce,whose current operated the mill vanesand whose waters were for centuriesconsidered salubrious to the point ofbeing sold door to door by water sellers,often became furious.The river flooded the lower sections ofthe city causing destruction, death andepidemics.The construction of the embankments,the most impos-ing engineeringwork since Romebecame capitalof Italy, led to aradical transfor-mation of theimage of the city.The charmingsequence of gar-dens and build-ings overlookingthe river was lost,the ports weredestroyed, theancient bridges

Ancient mooring

Ponte Rotto

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The large bath complex, startedunder Septimius Severus and inau-gurated by his son Caracalla in 216,is among the most grandiose everbuilt in antiquity. The entire struc-ture covers an area of 337 by 328metres and is second in size only tothe Baths of Diocletian, erectedabout a century later between theQuirinal and the Viminal hills. TheBaths of Caracalla were extended inthe 3rd century by the emperorsHeliogabalus and Alexander Severuswith an outer perimeter (thePorticus) before being completed in253. Restored by Aurelian,Diocletian and Teodoric, theyremained in use until 537, when theGothic king Witigis cut the aque-ducts that provided Rome withwater. On that occasion, theAntonine Aqueduct, a special branchof the Marcia Aqueduct built byCaracalla especially to supply hisbaths with sufficient water, was alsodestroyed. The baths were large structures thatoffered health and hygienic facilitiessuch as hot and cold baths, saunas,massage and physical exercise, andalso served as ideal public meetingplaces for socializing. The colossalproportions of the surviving ruins –some of which reach thirty metres inheight - give an idea of the monu-mental size of the rooms that couldhold up to eight thousand people aday. Judging by what has survived,the splendour of the marble, bronzeand mosaic decorations must havebeen extraordinary: the Farnese

Hercules and Bull, now on displayat the National ArcheologicalMuseum of Naples, the basins ofEgyptian granite in Piazza Farnesein Rome, the granite column inPiazza Santa Trinita in Florence, andthe mosaics of Athletes in theVatican Museums.The outer perimeter, where servicerooms were located, had two largeexedrae on the sides and a on thesides and a flight of steps that hidthe huge cistern made up of a doublerow of chambers with a total capac-ity of eighty thousand cubic metresof water. The steps served as bleach-ers from which people could watchthe athletic games often held at thebaths. The two large rectangularrooms situated at the corners wereused as libraries. The bath complexproper was arranged symmetricallyalong the great hall of the centralbody of the building, accessiblethrough the four doors on the north-east facade (perhaps the presententrance). Once inside the entrancevestibule, it was possible to go to theapodyteria (changing rooms) andthen into the gyms, initially a court-yard surrounded by colonnades witha series of rooms for physical activ-ities opening on to it. At this pointone proceeded to the different areasstarting from the calidarium (a heat-ed room for bathing), on to the tepi-darium (a small chamber at roomtemperature), and the frigidarium(the central hall with a large pool ofcold water) and the natatio (openOlympic swimming pool). Other

The Baths of Caracalla

small rooms, such as the sphaeriste-ria (for ball games), the laconicum(heated with hot air), and the sudatio(heated with steam), were arrangedaround the main area. Heat was pro-duced by an oven constantly fedwith wood and diffused through claypipes than ran under the floors andthrough hollow spaces placed in thewalls of the various rooms. Theservice area was underground,beneath the bath complex, and con-sisted of vast connecting chamberson two levels, quite similar to a roadnetwork. The ovens and wood stor-age were located on the upper level,whereas the lower one was for thecanalization that carried the wastewater into a large sewer along the

south-west side of the outer perime-ter. In the 3rd century AD amithraeum, one of the largestknown in Rome, was built on thisside of the perimeter, in the subter-ranean area beneath the exedra.

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla

Open from 9am to one hour before sunset

Info and reservations:

Tel. 06.39967700

Getting there:

Metro B from Termini- Circo Massimo stop

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The magnificent Park of theAqueducts extends between ViaLemonia, Via del Quadraro and Via A.Viviani and consists above all, besidesthe remains of the Villa delle Vignacceand of the Casale di Roma Vecchia, ofthe imposing ruins of six Roman aque-ducts: Marcio, New Anio, Tepula,Claudio, Iulia and Felice, thatexploited the natural (morphological)incline of the territory, carrying waterfrom the springs in the high valley ofthe Aniene and the Alban Hills toRome where they ended their course atthe Porta Maggiore.The impressive arches that in placesintersect and overlap, are still integrat-ed in the beautiful landscape of thesurrounding area with its meadowsinterspersed with hedges, trees, grass-es, thistles and orchids. Turning leftfrom Via del Quadraro you reach TorFiscale where the arches of theClaudian Aqueduct , running parallelto those of the Acqua Felice, reach amaximum height of 28 metres. TheClaudian Aqueduct, inaugurated in 52AD by the emperor after whom it wasnamed, earned the epithet of magnifi-centissimus on account of the excel-lent quality of its water. In the 1st cen-tury Pliny claimed that “If one careful-ly considers the abundance of waterthe aqueduct provides to the communi-ty (baths, pools, channels, homes, gar-dens, suburban villas), it must beadmitted that nothing more grandiosehas ever been built in the wholeworld”. Its arches also support thepipes of the New Anio, completed byClaudius in 52 AD. It was the most

powerful of all the eleven ancientaqueducts and could carry 4,738quinarie, corresponding to almost 200million litres a day. At Tor Fiscale thearches of the Claudian Aqueduct meetthose of the Felice Aqueduct, namedafter Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti)who built it in at the end of the 16th

century After abandoning its subter-ranean section, the conduit overlapswith the Marcius Aqueduct, whosepilasters and structures it re-utilizes.By following its course you can reachthe complex of the Villa delleVignacce, of which very little of theoriginal splendour remains. The villawas built in the 2nd century and wasone of the most beautiful in the Romansuburbs. Its ruins include the cistern,originally connected with the MarciusAqueduct that supplied it with water.Further on, towards Via Lemonia,remains of the large apsed fountainbelonging to the nymphaeum and ofother water cisterns are also visible.By passing under the arches of theFelice Aqueduct, you find the path thatleads to the Fosso della marrana del-l’acqua Mariana, the ditch created inthe 12th century by Pope Callixtus IIIto bring water into the city centre, afterthe aqueducts had been destroyed bythe Germanic tribes. The channelcrossed the Ager maranus, near mod-ern Morena and was thus erroneouslynamed “mariano” already inRenaissance times. The term “mar-rana” was later applied to all the ditch-es in the Roman countryside.Continuing on your walk, you willreach the Casale di Roma Vecchia

The Park of the Aqueducts

(the Old Rome Farmhouse) built in the13th century along the via Latina.Located between the Marcius andClaudius Aqueducts, its function wasto control the entire area. To the eastthere are visible remains of a sectionbuilt in tufa of the Marcius Aqueduct,named after the praetor QuintusMarcius Rex, who built it in 144 BC,at the time of the destruction ofCarthage. With its 90 kilometres, theMarcius Aqueduct was one of thelongest in Rome and its cool, salubri-ous water was one of the favourites ofthe Romans. Above it runs the channelof the Aqua Tepula, brought to Romein 125 BC and superimposed on theMarcius aqueduct at the end of theRepublican period, along with the

Aqua Iulia of which almost nothingremains. The name of the Aqua Tepulais connected to the temperaturereached by its water at the springs,which was about 17 degrees Celsius. Itis worthwhile to continue the visit ofthe park along the avenue lined withtrees that flanks the ditch of theMariana water on the right. The avenuepartially traces the ancient course of theVia Latina that started at the gate bythe same name and connected Rome toCapua. Along its slab-stone pavement,it is still possible to see the ruins oftombs, farmhouses and Roman villas.

Getting there:

Metro Line A from Termini

Giulio Agricola stop

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The Ponte Nomentano The bridge, a point of transit on theAniene river and an extraordinary exam-ple of military fortification, is namedafter the Via Nomentana, as it is locatedat the third mile of the road. Built in the2nd century BC, it was destroyed byTotila in 549 and rebuilt a few years laterby Narsetes. The bridge consists of alarge arch covered in travertine and fourminor arches. The fortifications wereadded in the 8th century by Pope HadrianI and in the 15th century by Pope NiccolòV Parentuccelli, whose coat of arms isstill visible above the arch on the exter-nal side. The bull’s head and the clubinserted on the keystone may refer toHercules, to whom the bridge was prob-ably dedicated in antiquity. Many impor-tant historical events took place here,including the encounter between PopeLeo III and Charlemagne in the year800. In 1805, after having spent manyyears between France and Italy, SimónBolívar resolved to free his homeland

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from the Spanish invaders. On this site,inspired by the magnificent remains ofancient Rome, and in the presence of hisfriend, the Argentinean patriot SimónRodriguez, he took the fateful oath withwhich he promised to never rest until thechains that oppressed his people werebroken. He then returned to SouthAmerica and won many victories thatearned him the title of libertador as wellas dictatorial powers when he returned toCaracas in 1813. In 1849, instead,French troops bombarded the bridge inorder to prevent the passage of theItalian patriots. The damage wasrepaired in 1856, and the merlons of thetowers rebuilt. Today the bridge is forpedestrian use only and inserted in thesurrounded greenery despite the intenseurbanization of the area.

Getting there:

Bus 90 from Termini

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The Nymphaeum of Egeria

The Nymphaeum is in the Park of theCaffarella, outside the Gate of SaintSebastian, within walking distance fromVia Appia Pignatelli. It was built by theGreek aristocrat Herodius Atticus in thegrounds of his suburban villa, the PagoTriopio, situated between the Via Appiaand the water course Almone. The estateof Pago Triopio was inherited byHerodius Atticus at the death of his wifeAnnia Regilla, whom he probably mur-dered when she was expecting their fifthchild. On the vast property in which themain building was surrounded by a farmvillage, Herodius Atticus built a templededicated to Ceres and Faustina, laterconverted into the church ofSant’Urbano. The Nymphaeum waserected near the Almone and, since theRenaissance, erroneously thought to bethe grotto of the nymph Egeria whosecult was instead celebrated in the sacredwoods of the Camene, in the area of themodern Piazza Capena. According to tra-dition, every night king Numa Pompiliusand Egeria would withdraw into thesacred woods of the Camene where he

received inspiration for writing upRome’s sacred laws from the nymphwho was an expert in human matters anddivine mysteries. The Nymphaeum ofEgeria in the Pago Triopio was a splen-did structure immersed in the greenery ofthe park and decorated with fountains,probably dedicated to the god Almone.The large rectangular hall, frequented byHerodius Atticus and his guests in the hotRoman summers, has maintained itsoriginal vault covering and one of theniches in the side walls containing anancient statue. Water was provided by thespring in Via Appia Pignatelli and chan-neled through terracotta pipes beforespouting from the numerous side nichesprobably also decorated with statues. Atone time the nymphaeum was surround-ed by lush vegetation and hidden by ivyhanging over it. The vault was covered inpumice stone and by the delicate tendrilsof Capelvenere (Venus hair) fern, thatalong with moss and lichen recreated theimpression of a natural grotto. Outside, aportico surrounded a still visible rectan-gular basin in which the water was col-lected before flowing into the Almone. Inthe 19th century the Nymphaeum was afavourite place for Romans and visitorsalike. In the famous tavern built insidethe wall structure, illustrious travelers,including Goethe, loved to while awaythe hours in the tranquility of the naturalsurroundings. Since 1948 the spring ofthe Nymphaeum has been run by the“Acqua Minerale Egeria” company.

Getting there:

Metro Line B – Circus Maximus stop, then

bus 118.

Notes

Would you like to share with us yourimpressions on the places of Rome you

loved most during your stay?Please send a short text or pictures or any sug-

gestions to our web site www.romaturismo.it section Rome Fanzine.

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