The most beautiful squares and fountains in Rome. Fountains in Rome: a guide

Our route starts at Piazza Barberini.
lively Piazza Barberini formed by the streets Via Veneto, Via Barberini, Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via del Tritone.
Barberini Square (Piazza Barberini) takes its name from the palace, which is located on it. luxury palace was erected in 1625 by order of Cardinal Francesco Barberini.
In the center of the square rises triton fountain by Lorenzo Bernini in 1643. This is one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome. Among the tails of four dolphins, a triton rises and two Barberini coats of arms are located.

Triton Fountain. Rome.

Let's go through Via del Tritone and turn to the Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain. Rome.

The Trevi Fountain is the most impressive and famous in Rome.
The fountain is supplied with water from the Aqua Vergine aqueduct, which was laid by Marcus Agrippa in 19 BC. Agrippa installed a fountain in the square, where water was collected in three bowls.
In the Middle Ages, the water in the Trevi Fountain was controlled by blacksmiths, whose curia was located on the Capitoline Hill. Once a month they came to make sure that the townspeople did not take water for their own needs.
In addition, the approach to the fountain was protected by a fence.
Three bowls remained until 1453, after which the fountain was restored and one bowl was installed, into which water was collected from three pipes, the fountain began to be called "Trivio", i.e. crossroads of three roads, because the fountain was located just at the intersection of three streets.
Mine modern look Trevi Fountain received in 1735-62, it was built by the Roman architect Nicola Salvi, who was clearly inspired by the work of Bernini.
The Trevi Fountain rests on the Poli Palace, forming a single whole with it, its width is 20 meters and its height is 26 m. The facade of the fountain consists of a large niche with a semicircular vault, with four columns on both sides of the niche. The upper balustrade is decorated with four statues that symbolize the seasons. In the central niche, a statue of the muscular god of the Ocean is freely located, his shell-shaped wagon is driven by two seahorses: one calm and the other excited, which symbolizes the two faces of the sea. The seahorses are controlled by Tritons.
On the sides of the central niche are two smaller rectangular niches. They contain statues of Abundance (left) and Usefulness (right).
Water flows into a grandiose bowl-pool. According to popular tradition, you need to throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain and then you will definitely return to Rome.
Another lesser known but amusing legend is related to the large vase located on the right side and called the "Ace of Hearts" because of the similarity in shape. When Salvi was working on the fountain, he was fed up with advice and criticism from a barber whose workshop was nearby, and the architect installed a vase to block the work on the fountain from him.

Vase at the Trevi Fountain. Rome.

By the way, Mussolini had a grandiose plan: to demolish the buildings in front of the Trevi Fountain and destroy the square, instead to build porticos and arches that would frame the fountain in an arch. This plan, as we see, was not destined to come true.
On the square opposite the fountain is one of the famous and beautiful Madonnas of Rome.

Madonna at the Trevi Fountain. Rome.

Let's go back and cross Via del Tritone.
Let's find via Mario Dei Fiori.
Flower Mario Street named after the artist from Abruzzo Mario Nuzzo, who lived here and painted exclusively flowers, so he was nicknamed "Flower Mario".
Unfortunately, the artist saved on paints and bought not very high-quality goods, so many of his paintings were destroyed by time. The paintings very quickly lost their original colors and faded, so there was a joke in Rome that the flowers in Mario's paintings fade like real ones.
However, the remaining works are highly valued by collectors.

Via Mario Dei Fiori intersects Via Condotti, which embodies the chic and luxury of Rome, here are the most expensive and prestigious fashion brands in the world Dior, Gucci, Valentino, Hermes, Armani, Jimmy Choo, La Perla, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Furla, Burberry, Celine, Dolce e Gabbana, Max Mara , Alberta Ferretti, Fornarina, Trussardi, Buccellati, Bulgari, Tod's, Cartier, Bally, Montblanc, Louis Vuitton. Clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories are the main goal and fetish mainly for Russian and Japanese tourists.

"Golden Quarter" of Rome.

DIOR - "Golden Quarter" of Rome.

PUCCI - "Golden Quarter" of Rome.

From here you can see the famous Spanish Steps leading to the church of Trinita dei Monti.

Installed in front of the stairs Fountain "Boat", by Pietro Bernini (father of Lorenzo Bernini).
At the beginning of the XVI century. it was a suburb where vineyards grew, the memory of which was preserved in the name of the streets, and ancient Roman ruins were destroyed. In addition, there were two palaces here, which were later sold to Spanish ambassadors. Hence the name of the square.
On it rises Column of the Immaculate Conception, established in 1857 by the will of Pius IX. The column is decorated with a statue of the Madonna, for the creation of which a pretty nun posed. Madonna turned out to be so attractive that the fire brigade had a tradition every year on December 8 to present her with a bouquet of flowers, climbing a long staircase, because the height of the column and base is 29 meters.

The high palace on the square is the board of the Propagation of the Faith. Bernini first worked on the palace, and then the work was entrusted to Borromini. We have already written about the rivalry between the two great architects and how they mocked each other while working on this palace.
Unfortunately, those "architectural" bullying did not survive.

A long staircase leads to the church of Trinita dei Monti, built in 1726.
The building on the right side of the stairs was called the "Red House", it belonged to signora Anna Angeletti, who rented out rooms to tourists. The poet Keats rented a room here on the second floor, he spent in Rome last days of his life and died in 1821 at the age of 26. Now there is a museum here.
In the house on the left side of the stairs, Englishwomen Miss Babington and Miss Carjeel opened a tea salon in 1893.

Let's look into historical cafe – Greco (Caffe" Greco, via dei Condotti, 86) which is over 300 years old. The cafe was founded in 1760 by Nicola della Maddalena, a Greek by nationality. Famous characters fell in love with the cafe - writers, writers, intellectuals, including Richard Wagner, Edvard Grik, Goethe, Gogol, who wrote some chapters of Dead Souls here, Liszt and others.

From Spanish Square we will walk along via Margutta.

Via Margutta is a special street. In the second half of the XVI century. she was outside the city gates, surrounded by gardens and vineyards, for which she was loved by artists, writers, artists and sculptures. Now their workshops have been replaced by private apartments, but the bohemian spirit has been preserved.

Courtyard Via Margutta. Rome.

Located along the street fountain of arts, made in 1927 according to the design of Pietro Lombardi.

Mr. Bradley from the movie "Roman Holiday" lived at number 51. In general, in the 1950s. after the film's release via Margutta fell in love with a famous character. Many of them began to live on this street, for example, Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina, Anna Magnani, Giorgio de Chirico.
So Fellini and Mazina lived in house number 110. Giulietta Masina spent in Rome most of her childhood, she attended a gymnasium and a lyceum here, graduated from the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University "La Sapienza". Federico Fellini moved to Rome in 1939 with the dream of becoming a journalist. They got married in 1943.

House 110 is one of the oldest on Margutta Street.

When the street ends, turn left (the only possible option) and walk along Via del Corso to the street via Antonio Canova.
Here it is home of Antonio Canova- famous sculpture. This is a simple house with doors and windows that immediately attracts attention with numerous fragments of statues and sculptures of ancient Rome, attached directly to the walls. The great sculptor from Treviso moved to Rome in 1799, at first he lived near Piazza Venezia, and in 1830 he decided to buy a house and equip a workshop in it.
In Rome, Canova created several beautiful works of art, among them "Cupid and Psyche", "Three Graces", a statue of Pauline Borghese and Maddalena Penitente. Antonio Canova died in 1822.

You can continue the route on

The name is given to the square by the name of the ancient Roman family Barberini.

In ancient times, on the site of the current square, there was a temple of the goddess Flora, next to which noisy national holidays were started in honor of the arrival of spring.

Then, at the beginning of the 16th century, a square was arranged here and named after Cardinal Grimani (Grimani), in 1625 it was renamed after the name of the noble Sforza family. The Sforza estate was acquired by Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII (Urbanus PP. VIII), in 1627 he decided to build a palazzo here.

Pope Urban VIII is a famous figure of his time, educated and well-read, having a large collection of books for those times, familiar with Galileo Galilei (Galileo Galilei), who patronized the arts. He was the initiator of the construction of many buildings in Rome, and he intended the palace and square to perpetuate his glorious family.

Thus, the square acquired its name in 1633, when with its south side, on a hill, the Barberini Palace majestically ascended, and gardens were laid out around the square.

In the middle of the 17th century, under the guidance of an architect and sculptor (Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini), a theater with the same name was built on the square. This building has become cultural center cities: representatives of science and art came here, theatrical performances, musical evenings, balls were arranged, poets read their works. The theater existed until 1873, when it was demolished for the construction of Via Barberini.

The miniature and original Fountain of Bees sings of the work of the bee and its help to people and is an important ideological element of the square.
The fountain is surrounded by plane trees, in their shade they rest and drink clean water tourists from the fountain, and the marvelous legends of the Barberini house give scope for reflection on human life.

How to get there

Piazza Barberini can be reached by metro (line A). Directly under the square is the Barberini station, and a five-minute walk from famous sights - and.

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Why is the Triton Fountain in Rome famous? Where is the fountain of the architect Bernini. Triton Fountain on the map, photos and reviews.

If you ask which fountains in Rome are the most beautiful, you will surely hear a whole list of more than a dozen. But we will not be mistaken if we say that they were all installed according to the project of Bernini or his students. If you go east along Via Sistina, you will come to a small square paved with cobblestones, the center of which is decorated with the Triton Fountain. The square is called Piazza Barberini.

Where is the Triton Fountain

The eastern part of Rome has long been chosen by the popes and their families. Here, on the high Quirinal Hill, a palace was built in 1573 - summer residence Pope Gregory XIII. Now it's presidential palace. At the foot of the hill there is a square, which was considered central square area of ​​the aristocracy.

In the 16th century, more precisely in 1549, on the site of the ruins of the temple of Flora, among the old vineyards of Sforza, a miniature palace was erected for this family. Experiencing financial difficulties, Sforza was forced to sell this piece of land. It is acquired by Barberini - Pope Urban VIII and builds a palace here, and at the end of its construction, Lorenzo Bernini orders a fountain to decorate the palace square.

fountain architecture

Triton Fountain - decoration of Piazza Barberini

In 1643 the Triton Fountain was installed. Triton became the central figure of the fountain. According to Roman mythology, Triton was the son of Neptune, the god of lakes, seas and oceans, and Salacia, the deity of the salty seas.

A beautiful muscular figure of Triton, sitting in a double-leaf open shell, seems to be hovering over the square. The shell is supported on their tails by four dolphins, faithful companions of Triton. Throwing his head back, Triton blows into the sink, from which a stream of water flows. According to legend, during the beginning of the global flood, when the waters almost swallowed up all the land, Neptune ordered Triton to blow his conch and the waves parted.

From the mouths of dolphins, jets of water also beat, filling the bowl of the fountain, repeating the shape of honeycombs. Between the raised tails are the papal tiara and the keys to paradise, as well as the coat of arms of the Barberini family with an invariable attribute - bees. By the way, they also adorn the eponymous one, located nearby.

Urban VIII was very, very pleased, because this fountain perfectly matched the coat of arms of Barberini, which means it captured it for many years.

Witness from Piazza Barberini

Have you already included Piazza Barberini in your itinerary?

Since that time, the Triton Fountain not only adorned the square in front of the Pope's palace, but also witnessed specific actions practiced in the Middle Ages. According to the rule established until the 18th century, a wagon with disfigured bodies found in a day went in Rome every day. Her route passed through the busiest places, so that people who saw her, by the signs on the bodies lying in her, could recognize friends and relatives. This, frankly, gloomy path began from Piazza Barberini.

Years have passed. The funeral wagon is left behind in history. And the Triton Fountain has been decorating this square in Rome for the fourth century. And just like his fellow authorship of the great architect Bernini, he gathers people around him. Tens of thousands of tourists are annually photographed against its background, taking the views of the Triton Fountain to different countries.

How to get to Rome - low prices Moscow-Rome a year ahead:

How to get to the Triton Fountain

Getting to the Triton Fountain in Rome is a breeze. It is located on Piazza Barberini, where the metro station of the same name - Barberini is located. The square can also be reached on foot. For example, from the famous - Plaza de España.

The historic center of Rome is small in size, it is quite possible to explore it on foot, almost without using the metro or other transport. The difficulty lies in the fact that the concentration of architectural, sculptural, artistic and other masterpieces is too high, so you are literally torn by the desire to go in all directions at once, wherever you are. It is important enough in advance, at least roughly, to outline a plan for each walk and try to stick to it. It is very good to download an audio guide to Rome on your phone, the network has a fairly detailed one on the main attractions.
You should not count on a preliminary acquaintance with the city on a sightseeing tour, it was postponed for us at the end of the trip, and it did not give any solid idea, so a short walk through several tourist places. It is better to use the circular bus route, which you can take at any of its stops. Better yet, thoroughly study the city plan before the trip.
So, the first day and the first, while a short warm-up walk. We leave the hotel on the street. Ludovichi, we see in front of us on a dais beautiful building. This is the Villa Maraini, which houses the Swiss Institute in Rome, with the aim of helping young Swiss to get acquainted with the culture of Italy.

We go around this building and go down the stairs to Piazza Barberini. The wealthy Barberini family is best known for its pope, Urban VIII. The memorable coat of arms of Barberini with the image of bees will then constantly catch the eye in the most different places cities. In this region, it is almost everywhere.
A little before reaching Piazza Barberini, in the shade of the trees you can see the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (Santa Maria della Concenzione), belonging to the Capuchin order.


Five chapels of the crypt of the church are decorated with the bones of four thousand Capuchin brothers from the monastery cemetery washed out by a landslide. In the last chapel there is an inscription: "We were like you, you will be like us." Photography is strictly prohibited, batteries are taken away at the entrance. This was the first thing we saw in Rome, but everything that followed was more fun.

There is a fountain of bees in front of the exit to the square. Bees, of course, by the name of Barberini. The architect Bernini completed the construction of the fountain two months before the 22nd anniversary of Urban VIII's tenure on the papal throne, but on the monument he prudently knocked out the number XXII, ridicule and libel crawled around the city, then the last figure was slowly removed and, as if, calling trouble - the Pope died, not living 9 days before the 22nd anniversary.



Piazza Barberini is adorned with the Triton Fountain (Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1643).

Taxis are always ready in front of the hotel.


From the square we go up the street of the Four Fountains (Via delle Quattro Fontane) to the Palazzo Barberini. Two irreconcilable rivals Francesco Borromini (began construction in 1625) and Bernini (finished in 1633) had a hand in the construction of the palace. Now here National Gallery of ancient art (one of the few museums available without an appointment).












And even on flower pots bees.

We pass further along the street and exit to the crossroads at the four corners of which fountains are located. This is the Quattro Fontane.

One of the corner buildings of the Four Fountains Square is the Church of San Carlino, the style can be described as super-baroque, there is not a single straight line in the appearance. First independent construction Francesco Borromini.

Now, along the Quirinale street, we climb to the top of the Quirinal hill to the obelisk with the Dioscuri.

The statues of the twins Castor and Pollux, which are copies of the Greek originals of the classical era (Phidias and Praxiteles), were known in the Middle Ages. According to another version, the statues depict Alexander the Great and his father Philip.

The facade of the Quirinal Palace overlooks the square (construction began in 1573). From 1592 to 1870, the pontiffs lived here permanently, later the palace became the residence of the king, now the president of Italy.


The entrance is guarded vigilantly,

and a car of the carabinieri is watching the order, the carabinieri themselves, apparently, are walking somewhere.

We go down the stairs and get to the Trevi Fountain.


On the site of the source of the Virgin, the architect Nicolo Salvi built a fountain in 1762, using Bernini's sketches. The central figure of the fountain is the Ocean riding in a shell-cart drawn by two seahorses driven by Naiad and Triton. The Trevi Fountain is located against the backdrop of the wall of the Poli Palace, which belonged to Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya in the 19th century. Tourists are supposed to throw coins into the fountain and drink water from the "lover's tubes" to the right of the fountain.



After resting on the benches of the amphitheater in front of the Trevi Fountain and having a bite of crispy and melt-in-your-mouth pizza, we continue our walk towards the Column Square, in the middle of which rises the column of Marcus Aurelius.

A little more along the alleys past the Palazzo Montecitorio and we enter the square in front of the Pantheon.

In the center of the Piazza Rotunda or Pantheon there is a fountain built by Leonardo Sormani in 1575 according to the design of Giacomo Della Porta. Above the fountain rises the obelisk of Ramesses II, erected in 1715 by Pope Clement XI.

The Pantheon, the most significant and well-preserved monument of antiquity, was built in 27-25 BC by the commander Marcus Agrippa. In 125, Emperor Hadrian completely reconstructed the monument. In 608 the pantheon was presented to Pope Boniface IV.
The Pantheon is covered with a unique dome, in the center of which there is a hole through which the sunlight. According to the legend, the dome was built with masonry resting on the ground, which was poured inside the room. To speed up the process of cleaning the building after construction was completed, gold coins were thrown into the ground, which were supposed to go to those who would clean this land.

When you walk around Rome, your eyes widen, you want to see everything around, wherever you look, everything is interesting.


But we are not distracted, because our path lies to tourist gem Piazza Navona.


The square retains the shape and dimensions of the ancient stadium. The revival of the square is associated with the name of Pope Innocent X of the Pamphili family, who decided to turn the palace built here in 1644-1650 into a symbol of the power of his own family. Francesco Borromini took part in the construction as an adviser, he also built the church of St. Agnes. In the center of the square, which the Pamphylians considered as a courtyard in front of their palace, Innocent X decided to install a fountain. It was assumed that this order would also go to Borromini, but as a result of a subtle intrigue, his constant competitor Bernini took possession of it. In the center of Piazza Navona now stands a large round pool with a huge rock rising in the middle with four openings of grottoes. The rock, according to Bernini's plan, was to be crowned with an ancient obelisk. A suitable obelisk is found in the arena of the circus of Maxentius near the ancient Appian Way, by inscrutable chance it was the same obelisk that once stood in the center of the circus of Domitian in this very place. The pyramidal top of the obelisk is decorated with a dove from the coat of arms of the Pamphylians. Four sculptures symbolize the main rivers of the four continents of the world (Ganges, Nile, Danube and Rio).


There is another interpretation of the meaning of the figures that make up the composition of the Rec Fountain. It is known that between the two most famous architects of the 17th century, often working together, there was never a good agreement. And while Borromini was building the church of St. Agnes, Bernini, erecting a fountain in front of her, decided to visually display his attitude to the creation of his opponent.

There are two more fountains in Piazza Navona. Opposite the Pamphili Palace is the fountain of the Moor, which got its name from the nickname given by the townspeople to the sculptural "Ethiopian" fighting a dolphin.



And finally, the fountain of Neptune.



Piazza Navona was final destination our first walk, the route of which is shown on the plan


In conclusion, some photos of the same places in the evening.






Much of the information provided in the post was taken from the audio guide for Rome by Lyudmila Khaustova.

Gathering of the group at Piazza Barberini at the Triton Fountain.

The theme of our tour is "The Singing Heart of Rome". The duration of the tour is 2 hours, and the length is 2.5 km. The purpose of the tour is to acquaint you with the historical and modern sights of Rome. The tour will take place on the way from the Triton Fountain in Piazza Barberini to the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Navona.

Pond" href="/text/category/vodoem/" rel="bookmark">reservoirs. But if you still decide to swim, you should know that it will cost you a pretty penny - a fine of 600 euros. And swimming in the Trevi Fountain is the most an expensive pleasure - 800 euros. Nevertheless, the main value of the fountains, nevertheless, in another way is amazing architectural monuments and a real decoration of the city. A whole month is not enough to see them all, but the best of them are worth devoting some of the time spent in Rome to them.

Where do you think the word "fountain" comes from? This word comes from the Latin "fonte", which means "source". In ancient Roman fountains, water did not spurt upwards, but flowed down. Water through aqueducts, that is, channels, entered the numerous fountains, which in those days did not exist for the sake of beauty: they imitated springs, and the inhabitants took water from them. By the way, the inhabitants of Rome had almost no gastric diseases, since the water supplied from the slopes of the local hills was triple cleaned through coal, sand and grass filters.

We are near one of the sources, Triton Fountain.

This subtle and harmonious creation of Bernini has been decorating the square of the Barberini Palace since 1643.

Pay attention to the fountain, the statue of Triton (the son of the god of the sea Poseidon) rests on the open shells held by the tails of four dolphins. Half-man, half-fish, Triton blows a high jet of water from the shell, which, flying up, falls and fills the fountain bowl, symbolizing the storm caused by Triton. As you can see, the fountain has not changed since the 1950s.

Between the dolphins, the architect placed images of the coat of arms with bees of the Barberini family, whose head, Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini), patronized talented Italian artists, including the author of the fountain.

Now I ask you to take photos of our first object, because then we will go to the first creation of Bernini, the Barcaccia fountain, which means “boat” in Italian.

From Piazza Barberini we turn onto the street ("via" in Italian) Sistina. Via Sistina, one of the most elegant streets in Rome, is located in the city center, and connects Piazza Barberini with Piazza di Spagna, to which we are heading. On this street there is a hotel of the same name and the famous Sistina Theatre, many shops and restaurants.

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol also lived on Via Sistina. In 1841, in Rome, he completed work on his remarkable work Dead Souls. Gogol was a frequent visitor to the cafe "Greco" that still exists today on Condotti Street, which Goethe, Liszt, and Wagner once visited.

Interest in the culture of Rome is traditional. A visit to Rome, in addition, inspired the artist and other great figures of Russian culture to create works that reflect their impressions of acquaintance with the eternal city. And all because, according to the words, “you fall in love with Rome very slowly, little by little and for the rest of your life.”

Ahead of us is our next object, the Spanish Steps. But, since this is an additional object of our excursion, I will briefly tell you about it. Spanish steps- a grandiose baroque staircase. It leads from the Spanish Square to the church of Trinita dei Monti, located on the top of the Pincio hill.

The patrons of the Trinita dei Monti church were the kings of France, and on the Spanish Square there was a representation of their close relatives, the kings of Spain. The French diplomat Etienne Geffier considered that it was necessary to connect these two points with a ladder, and in his will left 20,000 skudos for the implementation of this colossal project.

Hearing about Geffier's will, Cardinal Mazarin intervened, who demanded that an equestrian statue of the king be erected at the top of the stairs. Louis XIV. The Pope was offended by this proposal, and the Spanish Steps project was shelved until his death. french king in 1714. And in 1717 a competition was held, which was won by the little-known architect Francesco de Sanctis. Construction work on the staircase continued from 1723 to 1725. The statue of the king over the Eternal City was abandoned, and in the sculptural decoration of the stairs, the heraldic lilies of the Bourbons were tactfully combined with the symbols of papal power (the eagle and the crown).

This sunlit staircase rivals the Trevi Fountain for being the busiest place in Rome. Previously (now it can be seen less often) in Russia in small towns and villages every evening, people went out to the benches in front of the house - to chat with neighbors, discuss news, etc. So the Spanish Steps is such an international bench where at sunset you will not find a place to sit down. Here they sit in the sun, make acquaintances, Italians try to get acquainted with tourist girls. Moreover, these courtships, as a rule, are unobtrusive, unlike Turkish ones, and, having been refused a walk in the Pincho park, young people calmly leave.

Now we will go down the stairs to photograph it and the Trinita dei Monti church from below .

Plaza de España, Piazza de Spagna. Before us is fountain Bernini is his first brainchild, "Boat" (« Barkachcha").

His composition - a boat flooded with water, was invented as a reminder of the flood of 1598, when the flood of the Tiber unexpectedly overtook Rome. It looks rather modest - no powerful jets of water, only a slow murmur. The fountain appeared in 1629 and is considered one of the first examples of the Baroque style. .

Opposite the square is the Greco cafe, which I mentioned to you earlier, founded in 1760, where writers and artists liked to gather and where, in particular, Gogol and Chekhov drank coffee. Now it is closed for renovation.

Now you and I are on our way to the most famous fountain in Rome - the Trevi Fountain. But we will not do this directly, but take a little walk, visiting the two oldest and most popular streets of the city - Via dei Condotti and Via del Corso.

Via dei Condotti or Via Condotti- one of the oldest and most famous streets in Rome. located in historical center of the city and connects Via del Corso and Plaza de España.

In ancient Roman times, this street crossed the Via Flaminius and connected the bridge over the Tiber with the hill of Pincio. The name comes from communications (ital. condutture the Acqua Vergine aqueduct, which were carried out from the reservoir on the hill of Pincio in the 16th century by order of Pope Gregory XIII to serve the Campus Martius.

Since I started the story about the streets of Rome, it is impossible not to say about the roads. “All roads lead to Rome” - this proverb arose in very distant times, but has a factual basis. Rome was at that time the center of the Empire, the first roads (according to some sources, to Ancient Rome 19 roads fit) connected Rome with others major cities, and it was Rome that built these very roads. Therefore, a traveler who got on the Roman road could easily reach the capital ancient state without getting lost - it was only necessary to choose the widest of the available roads at the crossroads. Many of them exist to this day, are operated and retain their ancient names. An example is: Via Avrelia, Via Flamina, Via Cassia, etc.

Currently, as you may have noticed, Via Condotti is home to prestigious clothing, leather and jewelry stores. In 1905, the Bulgari atelier was opened here. Later boutiques of Valentino, Armani, Hermès, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and others were opened.

Here we have reached the intersection of Via Condotti with Via del Corso, one of the most famous streets Roman old city. This street will lead us north from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo, the square from which Corso, Babuino (leads to Piazza de Spagna) and Ripetta (leads to the Mausoleum of Augustus) radiate south.

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, Via del Corso was called Via Lata ("Broad Street") and was little used due to floods. In 1467, under Pope Paul II, the street was restored and expanded. The street got its current name from the equestrian competitions (corso), which took place here from the 15th century until 1882. Via del Corso and the surrounding streets are full of hotels, restaurants, cafés and shops.

From Via del Corso we turn left and see the street of artists, Via del Muratte. Artists will be happy to draw your portrait or collage for a couple of euros. Via del Muratta, a small "artistic" street, and leads us to the world-famous Trevi Fountain.

Plumbing" href="/text/category/vodoprovod/" rel="bookmark">Aqua Virgo ("Water of the Virgin"), carried to the city in the 1st century BC by Mark Agrippa, whose warriors were shown a delicious source young girl (hence his ancient name). In the 15th century, at the direction of Pope Nicolo V, the ancient aqueduct was restored so that Leon Baptiste Alberti built a fountain next to it. That first version, of course, looked different than it does today. The fountain was built over 30 years, starting in 1732, by the architect Nicol Salvi, in collaboration with the sculptors Pietro Bracci and Filippo della Valle.

In this building, they embodied the sketches of the great Bernini (of the period when he perfected the creation of theatrical effects). And since then, a small area has turned into an amphitheater filled with spectators, enjoying the play of the fountain in the pool-stage, in the center of which the Ocean solos in a shell - a cart drawn by seahorses. This baroque fountain was completed by 1762.

The central figure of the fountain composition is Neptune, the god of the sea among the ancient Romans. He drives a shell-shaped chariot drawn by sea horses. One of them is calm and seems submissive, while the other looks impatient and wayward. Together they symbolize the changing nature of the sea.

To the left of Neptune is a statue representing abundance, and to the right is a statue representing good health. Above these sculptures are bas-reliefs. One of them depicts Agrippa, the girl after whom the fountain was named.

The new name - Trevi - comes from the Latin trivium, which means "crossroads of three roads." Trevi water is considered the most delicious in Rome, and like a magnet attracts citizens and tourists. There is a vast pool in front of the fountain, and over time a tradition arose: standing with your back, toss a coin right hand over the left shoulder to return to Rome or fulfill another cherished desire.

After the restoration of the fountain in 1991, the authorities banned tourists from throwing money away, but they did not insist on the ban, and soon the ritual was revived: again, every day, “those who want to return” leave more than 1,500 euros at the bottom. Catch the money, the city lists them for public purposes. Another well-deserved tourist tradition is to drink water from the "lover's tubes" near the rock on the right side of the fountain.

I ask you to take a few more photos, because we are going to a group of fountains in Piazza Navona.

Now we are walking along Via Giustiniani. Vincenzo Giustiniani(Marquis Giustiniano) - Roman lover of art and archeology, who lived at the beginning of the 16th century; built himself on the ruins of the baths of Nero in Rome magnificent palace, the work of the architects Fontana and Borromini, and made up a wonderful collection of antiques, which subsequently scattered and partly passed into the Vatican Museum, partly into the possession of the rich Roman Torlonia.

We have to go a little, and our eyes will see another famous square with no less famous fountains - Piazza Navona.

Navona Square (Piazza Navona) is considered one of the most beautiful. The shape of the square repeats the shape of the stadium that was in its place (86), where the competitions were held, after the 5th century. - Performances and holidays. Piazza Navona was a favorite place for fairs, holidays and recreation of the Romans. In August 1477, here, by order of the cardinal camerlengo Guillaume d'Estouteville the market was transferred, which was previously at capitol hill, and it existed in the square until 1869, when it was moved to Campo dei Fiori. The market, held every Wednesday, sold vegetables, fruits and other foodstuffs. Today on the square at Christmas time there is a market - Befana di piazza Navona where they sell mostly toys. The square is visited by many tourists all year round.

The name of the square comes from its original purpose - distorted in agona "at the games". The mansions around the square date back to the 15th-16th centuries. The first fountain appeared on the square in the 16th century. Now there are three fountains on the square (previously there was also a fourth fountain - a large antique marble bath): in the southern part of the square - the Fountain of the Moor, in the northern part - the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the center.

The main decoration of the square are the fountains, among which the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers (1647-1651).

This creation by Bernini was built in the 17th century for Pope Innocent X. The sculptural group in the center of the fountain was designed as a support for a grandiose Egyptian obelisk. Allegorical male figures depict the most big rivers continents - Nile, Danube, Ganges and Rio de la Plata. Rivers in the guise of ancient giants are easily recognizable by individual features. The veil on the head of the Nile, for example, symbolizes the mystery of its source, which at that time had not yet been discovered.

The expressive plasticity of the figures of the fountain gave rise to a legend about a duel between the geniuses of the Baroque era: they said that Bernini's La Plata blocks his hand so as not to see the church of Sant'Agnese opposite - the creation of Borromini. (In fact, the fountain was built before the church facade). In the evening, this fountain, like other fountains in Rome, is skillfully illuminated.

But not only the fountain of the Four Rivers is rich in Piazza Navona. Now I ask you to proceed to another example of fountain art (of course, from Bernini) - Fontana del Moro (Fountain of the Moor), completed in 1654 according to a design by Bernini.

The name of the fountain comes from the statue of an Ethiopian fighting a dolphin. Have you noticed that it looks a lot like the Trevi Fountain? Moreover, it also depicts a sea scene with the participation of Neptune. Here he stands among sea creatures and is surrounded by four tritons.

Pay attention to the photo

, it clearly shows that the fountain of the Moor is surrounded by a fence. The city administration decided to remove it, as it spoiled appearance fountain, later it began to look like it is now.

I ask you to follow me to another source, in the northern part of the square.

The fountain was designed by Bernini - one of the two that close the composition of Piazza Navona. The equilibrium one to it in the original consisted of only one pool, but at the end of the 19th century a sculpture was added to it - this is how fountain of neptune.

This fountain, designed by Della Porta in 1576, is where the god of the sea fights against a giant octopus. The fountain used to be called "Fontana dei calderari" and included a polygonal reservoir and pool in its design. And Pope Innocent X, who imposed additional taxes to further equip Piazza Navona, went down in history with the saying "Pane, pane, non fontane!" ("Bread, bread, not fountains!")

With this our tour came to an end. To sum up such a productive day: today we got acquainted with a part of a huge tourism potential, historical and cultural heritage of Rome. We visited the Triton Fountain, went down the Spanish Steps to the Boat Fountain, walked along Via Condotti and Via del Corso, threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, looked at three fountains on the beautiful Piazza Navona.

At your request, a number of excursions are conducted on the theme of "Fountains of Rome", with visits to other sites - Fonte Aqua Paola, Piazza Matteo - the Turtle Fountain, Moses Fountain in Piazza San Bernardo, Piazza Dela Repubblica - Republic Square with a magnificent fountain .

If you have any questions, you can ask me, I will be happy to answer them. Thank you very much for your attention!