Rome in Flow: A Luxury Walking Tour of Fountains & Baroque Squares

Rome in Flow Tour of Fountains & Baroque Squares :

• 1. Begin at Piazza della Repubblica, a characteristic 19th century addition to Rome where you will step in front our 1st fountain where voluptuous bronze ladies (naiads) wrestling happily with marine monster. The Naiadi Fountain (1901 by Rutelli) is places exactly where used to be the gate of the colossal Bath of Diocletian, erected about 300 AD, the largest and most impressive of the ancient Roman baths.
• 2. Across the huge square (Piazza San Bernardo), on the corner of Via V. E. Orlando there’s our 2nd monumental fountain, the Moses Fountain, (1587) also known as Fontanone dell’Acqua Felice (which translates as “The Big Fountain of the Happy Water”). The Acqua Felice was the first of the great Renaissance fountains, commissioned by Pope Sixtus V as the terminal point of the restored aqueduct of Severus. Designed by Domenico Fontana in the form of a triumphal arch, the central figure shows Moses. This important post-Renaissance sculpture representing such important biblical character – so rare to find in the fountains of the City of the Popes -, is a clumsy figure of Moses derived from most famous Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli. A goes s the story goes, a sculptor named Propsero da Brescia had the unhappy task of executing Moses. The comparison with Michelangelo’s magnificent one was inevitable, and critical comments elicited by Propsero’s work are said to have driven him to grave. Like Moses, Pope Sixtus V liked to think of himself as having provided water for his thirsting population. In other words the Pope didn’t miss an opportunity for self-advertisement, wished to imply that like Moses he had brought water to some districts of the Rome at the end of the 16th century. Perhaps the most charming aspect of the fountain are the smug little lions spewing drinking water in the foreground.
• 3. From the fountain we continue along Via Venti Settembre that leads towards The Quirinale Palace. We stop at the intersection with Via delle Quattro Fontane a unique spot from where turning yourself 360°, you will be able to look at 4 of the 7 hills of Rome, 4 fountains and 3 Obelisk! Le Quattro Fontane in comparison to many of the later Roman fountains of Rome, these four late-16th-century fountains seem tame. But many find their restraint welcome after the majestic excesses of so many of the city's other fountains. From here thence down Via Quattro Fontane towards Piazza Barberini. This is a busy, modern and rather unattractive square but it has two fountains by Bernini. The Fountain of the Bees (Fontana delle Api), at the corner of the Via Veneto, dates from 1644 but It was not intended for this site and has been badly reconstructed. The lovely double shell shape — symbol of fertility and birth —and the rather blustering bees spouting water suggest not only the poetry of Bernini’s conceit, but also Bernini's Barberini patron, Pope Urban VIII, commemorated in this small fountain. “Api” means bees, the Barberini family emblem.
• 4. The Triton Fountain (1643), in the center of the piazza, is a magical, enchanting image. Four dolphins lift up on their tails to support a wide-open shell. Sit on top of the the big open shell you find a virile Triton blowing a stream of water into the air, as always, through his sea snail symbol of his power. This spectacular fountain Inevitably was designed by Bernini and is great example of his Baroque style. The big shell like wide-open mouth drawing up water and opens to free fountains of water which rise even higher into the light. All around the square are 20thC buildings that tower over the relatively small group that with its incredible dynamic upward movement diminishing the piazza. From here, take Via Sistina and go up to the Pincio hill where an Obelisk will point out another magic spot. On top of the graceful Spanish Steps where there is the imposing facade of the church of Trinità dei Monti, designed by Carlo Maderno, a asplendid view over Rome towards the dome of St Peter’s. This view was painted by Corot when he was at the French Academy in the Villa Medici and the area still retains something of the quiet, still charm that captivated the French Romantics. A little farther along, on the terrace to your right, is the peculiarly evocative Villa Medici Fountain (1587). Framed by ilexes and with water gently dripping from its wide, mossy bowl, the fountain forms the foreground to a splendid view over Rome towards the dome of St Peter.
• 5. Now go downstairs to step into Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Square), the focus of the traditionally Bohemian quarter of Rome, and immerse yourself in an 18th-century atmosphere created by ochre-colored buildings, the Bernini’s Barcaccia Fountain (1627-29) and the monumental staircase worldwide known as The Spanish Steps . It is one of the most famous images of the city. From downhill admire the large, elegant Baroque staircase, work of Francesco De Sanctis (1725) and, at their foot, the famous Barcaccia Fountain named after the characteristic form of a sinking ship. Actually the early Bernini’s work represents a shallow barge over which water plays slowly with the Pope Barberini arms emblazoned on the bows. Does the fountain recall a terrible flood that once hit the city and carried the fishing boat to this exact spot? Or did Bernini just invent the sinking boat to overcome a problem of poor water pressure? Some scholars see also at the fountain like an allegorical allusion to the Ship of the Church. The fountain has a vivid, naïve charm and looks rather like the remnant of a Baroque naval spectacle, now incongruously surrounded by the flow of 20thC traffic. For many years it was thought that the Barcaccia was the work of Bernini's father; in fact it's now known to be by Bernini himself. It represents a shallow barge over which water plays slowly.
• 6. Leaving the Spanish Steps toward Trevi Fountain you will encounter on the right the XV cenury Spanish Embassy for the holy seat and the Maison Valentino on your left. Flanking Bernini’s house, you are on your way to Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) the best known of the city's Baroque waterworks. Our destination is an impressive display at the termination of the ancient Roman Virgo aqueduct, 49m long and 26m high, the largest fountain in all Rome, and undisputedly the most beautiful in the city – the Trevi Fountain. Famous throughout the world, few people really know its full history, legends, and other curiosities. It’s time to do justice to this extraordinary symbol of Baroque Rome...At the feet of the Quirinale, the highest of the 7 hills of Rome, at the side of Italy White House, Trevi Fountain dominates a tiny square in which it's located, occupying the whole of one side. Nicola Salvi’s famous landmark, completed in 1762, almost fills the small and rather tatty piazza with its dynamic play of rushing water and natural rocks; the mighty figure of Neptune, standing on a huge shell drawn by sea horses, towers over the composition.
• 7. Now we will move to the refined and elegant Piazza Rotonda, on the far side of the Corso, also known as the Piazza of the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the maximum expression of the glory of Rome. It inspired the greatest architects of the Renaissance period such as Raphael who is buried inside. It is the only Roman building (founded between 25 and 27 B.C.) that survives practically intact. Originally dedicated to 12 pagan gods, it was converted into a Christian Basilica of Sancta Maria ad Martyrs in 608. Here stands the Pantheon Fountain (1575) by Giacomo della Porta, who also designed the Tortoise Fountain (Fontana delle Tartarughe) to the south of the medieval quarter and not therefore included in this tour. The Pantheon Fountain did not originally incorporate the Egyptian obelisk, which was added in the beginning of the XVIII century by Pope Albani Clement XI as part of a new Baroque scenography Ornamentum Fonti et Fori. The ensemble cannot compete with the majesty of the Pantheon, but the piazza has the random charm—that sense of a haphazard mixture of ancient and Renaissance worlds—that is so often found in Rome. A very different atmosphere, one of calculated theatrical splendour, characterizes nearby Piazza Navona, where the presence of three fountains, turned this unique place into the most famous Baroque showpiece in Rome.
• 8. The fountains at either end of the piazza were designed by Giacomo della Porta; their bases were altered in 1651 by Borromini. Fontana del Moro (to the south). Also if Giacomo della Porta was responsible for this fountain. Later, Bernini designed the central figure of the Moor executed by Giannantonio Mari in 1654.
• 9. Fontana di Nettuno (to the north). The Neptune Fountain dates from the 19thC. The supreme God of the Ocean, who is “fishing” an enormous Octopus, is ignored by two beautiful Sirens and multiple active Cupids.
• 10. Entirely dominated by the rushing water and vigorous, lively figure carving of Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Fiumi) the most dramatic of all of the Roman fountains of the great Master. The figures executed by Bernini’s assistants represent the major rivers: the rivers Danube, Nile, Ganges and Plate. The base of the fountain is a huge, craggy rock, surrounded by rushing water in which swim strange and delightful animals, attributes of the four rivers—a notice especially the large armadillo. The fountain was commissioned in 1648 by Innocent X, whose palace it was to incorporate as the backdrop; a huge obelisk, mass rises from its stretch. It can not challenge the majesty of the Triumph of the Church. This is where your guide will leave you, but not before giving you some tips for the rest of your stay. To round off this moment, your tour guide will suggest you try an unmissable treat: traditional Italian ice cream or gelato!