This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Rome
Of its eternal delights, Rome not only holds the world record as the city with the most churches, but also the most fountains. Dotted throughout the Italian capital are more than 1,500 mesmerising works of art where one can watch water rise, pause as if by magic and then tumble, over and over again, as the US poet laureate Louise Bogan wrote in her work “Roman Fountain”:
Up from the bronze, I saw
Water without a flaw
Rush to its rest in air,
Reach to its rest, and fall*
Among all the skills the ancient Romans excelled at, from construction to military might and expansion, creating water works and aqueducts was one of their most impressive endeavours. As their power grew, they devised new ways and means of transporting water around the empire. For centuries, they distributed clean water for basic means and necessities, using fountains and spas as public meeting places, and eventually turning the flow of water into the grand architectural statements that are found across the city.
While fountains such as the Trevi and Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) draw hordes of tourists, the following are mostly lesser known, though no less worth visiting for a moment of contemplation and a lesson in Roman history.
Fontana delle Rane
Piazza Mincio, 00198 Rome
Despite its proximity to Villa Borghese, the Coppedè Quarter, an eclectic world of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture with Baroque, Gothic and medieval influences, is largely unknown to visitors. This beautiful hidden corner of Rome, devised by the architect Gino Coppedè in the early 20th century, is home to some of the city’s most expensive and exclusive properties, its buildings adorned with symbolic iconography. The area, especially at night, evokes a sense of magic, and this fountain is at its heart. (The Beatles, after a late-night performance at the nearby Piper Club, one of the city’s most renowned nightclubs, famously jumped into the fountain.)
Named after the 12 frogs perched on it, the Fontana delle Rane is located at the centre of the Piazza Mincio, where it was erected by Coppedè in 1924. Encircling the pillar at its core are four pairs of male figures with windswept hair and fishing nets in their hands who spray water and hold up large, shell-shaped basins behind them, where large frogs release water from their mouths. The work is meant to symbolise regeneration, metamorphosis and rebirth. Directions
Fontana dell’Acqua Paola
Via Garibaldi, 00153 Rome
During the 17th century, the Trastevere and Janiculum districts, not far from the Vatican, suffered water shortages. So Pope Paul V (of the wealthy Borghese family) decided to fund the restoration of the Trajan aqueduct, which had been built at the behest of its namesake emperor in AD109. The pope also commissioned a monumental fountain to be built at the terminal point of the aqueduct — to be named after himself. Known by Romans as il fontanone (the big fountain), it is a stunningly imposing piece of Roman Baroque architecture. Situated not far from Trastevere next to the Janiculum hill, it can be heard before it’s seen, the sounds of fast, gushing water becoming increasingly louder as one approaches.
Its six granite columns, four red and two grey, were taken from the old St Peter’s Basilica. Water flows from five mouths in the arches into a large semicircular basin, which is bordered by columns topped with Pope Paul V’s coat of arms to form one of the most impressive and dramatic examples of Baroque splendour.
Goethe described it thus in 1787 after visiting it: “Those columns and arches, cornices and attics recall the grand entrances through which victors of wars once entered . . . the benevolent foresight of a pope from the Borghese dynasty can boast of having in this place its eternal, uninterrupted and imposing apotheosis.” Directions
Fontana del Tritone
Piazza Barberini, 00187 Rome
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, widely recognised as the greatest sculptor and architect of the Baroque era, was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini) to embellish the piazza on which his palatial residence had been built. This fountain, located at the Piazza Barberini and named after the sea god Triton, is one of Bernini’s most beautiful creations.
In this work, Triton, the son of Poseidon — half man and half fish — is sustained by four elaborately sculpted dolphins. He commands authority over the waves and seas by blowing into a seashell.
The fountain sits outside the former papal residence, Palazzo Barberini, which today houses the National Gallery of Ancient Art, home to some of the most striking Renaissance art in Rome, including several Caravaggio masterpieces. Directions
Fontana del Mascherone
Via Giulia, 00186 Rome
Situated on the serene yet central Via Giulia, the Mascherone, or Fountain of the Mask, was commissioned by yet another powerful Roman family, the Farneses. Patrons of the arts and owners of swaths of Italy and modern-day Belgium, they wielded strong political influence, particularly when Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III in 1534. Built into a wall, the backdrop of the fountain’s basin is a marble façade crowned with a metal lily, the symbol of the Farnese family. In the centre is a large, ancient mask, which is purported to have originated from Roman times and references an open-air theatre that used to be nearby. It is believed to have been designed in the first half of the 17th century by the architect Girolamo Rainaldi, who would later create the two fountains on the nearby Piazza Farnese, and it is said that on days of celebration, wine rather than water would flow from its mouth — compliments of the Farneses. Directions
Fontana del Facchino
Via Lata, 00186 Rome
One of the five “talking statues” of Rome, the Fontana del Facchino (Fountain of the Porter) depicts a man carrying a barrel of water — an old acquaiolo (water seller). The talking statues served as a unique medium for anonymous political commentary in Rome. Starting in the 16th century and continuing to this day, individuals posted criticisms, often in the form of poems or witty remarks, on well-known statues, which functioned as a kind of public bulletin board.
Acquaioli served an important purpose by roaming the streets of the city selling fresh water in the days when it was scarce, before the old Roman aqueducts were renovated. According to a long-lost inscription, the fountain was dedicated to an old porter, Abbondio Rizio, who throughout his life “carried as much weight as he wanted, lived as long as he could; but one day, carrying a barrel of wine on his shoulder and one inside his body, died against his will”. You’ll notice that Abbondio’s face is disfigured: it is said that passers-by would throw stones at it because of its resemblance to Martin Luther. Directions
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