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This tour features a guided walking tour of 4 hours to discover ROME'S MOST IMPRESSIVE FOUNTAINS. Being the capital of the Empire, Rome had the largest and most complex aqueduct system in the ancient world. 11 separate aqueducts supplied the city and were built over a span of 500 years. When water reached Rome it flowed into enormous cisterns (castella) maintained on the highest ground. These large reservoirs were connected to a vast network of lead pipes and everything from public fountains, baths and private villas could tap into the network, sometimes provided a fee was paid. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the aqueducts were wrecked or fell into disrepair, and the fountains stopped working. The tradition of monumental fountains, reborn during the Renaissance, survived and prospered and the desire to make a show involving sculptures, rocks, water, and even cascades - usually called the mostra survives with it.
The first fountains we will visit are located in Piazza Navona. It is the most vivid square in Rome, beloved Romans and visitors alike. Three splendid fountains decorate the piazza. The Fontana del Moro (Moor Fountain) at the south designed by Giacomo della Porta.The central Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers ) is Bernini's masterpeice. Each river god represents a continent Gange for Asia, Danube for Europe, Nile for Africa and Rio de Plata for Americas. At the north side of the piazza there is Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) designed by Giacomo della Porta in the 16th century.
Of all of ancient Rome's great buildings, only the Pantheon (a temple dedicated to all Roman Gods) remains intact. Built in 27 B.C. by Marcus Agrippa and reconstructed by Hadrian in the early 2nd century A.D, the Pantheon has been enormously influential on the major architects from the Renaissance through to the 19th century. The Piazza della Rotonda in front is beautifully ornated by a 16th century fountain surmounted by an Egyptian obelisk constructed by Pharaoh Ramses II for the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis.
Proceed to the amazing Trevi Fountain. It was built by the architect Salvi in 1735 and decorated by several artists of Bernini's school with beautiful statues and bas-reliefs on heaps of rocks. The fountain is not only celebrated for its excellent water but for the legend that whoever throws a coin in the fountain, will return to Rome.
Next we will stop at La Barcaccia Fountain in Piazza di Spagna. In a city famous for its fountains, this one stands apart from the others because it lacks the ambition and grandeur of the others. Instead of great crashing torrents, the water flows out at a leisurely gurgle. No one is sure exactly what the fountain is supposed to honor in its shape of a half-sunken ship with the water flowing out of it. Pope Urban VIII commissioned the fountain, and re-opened an ancient aqueduct in the 17th century, providing water to this otherwise parched area.
Last stop will be the Fountain of the Triton. It was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII. It is Bernini's first work of this genre but it already shows the characteristics of his later fountains. Gian Lorenzo Bernini brought the fountain sculpture from the villa to the city, from the natural to the social setting. With him, the sculpture is conceived in relation to the water, to its ceaseless flow, to its shape and course, and thus it becomes one of the "symbolic forms" of the Baroque. The Triton Fountain is composed of four dolphins whose tails mesh together to support an enormous shell on which stands a muscular triton blowing for into a conch. The intention behind the fountain was to create a water display that would provide an architectural reminder of the water supply provided by the Acqua Felice acqueduct commissioned by Urban VIII. What the Pope needed was a water supply for his new residence and the surrounding area. Bernini invested this practicality with a symbolic dimension.
- Trevi fountain
- Fountains of Piazza Navona
- La Barcaccia at the Spanish Steps
- Triton Fountain
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- Please dress respectfully when visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder.
- Comfortable walking shoes recommended.
- The tour sequence may be altered to avoid congestions but always covering mentioned sights.
- Keep an eye on your wallet and purses at all time. Do not wear jewelry or carry large amount of cash.
- Professional licensed tour guide
- Lunch
- Admission fees if any
- Tips to guide ( please read below for more information)
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In Associazione con Agenzia di Viaggio e Turismo Driver & Tours di Driverinrome Societa' Cooperativa a R.L.
Licenza rilasciata dalla Provincia di Roma Numero 32888/15. Partita Iva 13627291001
Assicurazione Allianz Polizza Numero 198630 E-mail: agenziadiviaggio@driverinrome.com - www.driverandtours.it
Tel. (+39) 066244373 - US number (315) 544-0496 - Whatsapp: (0039)392 4468283
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