Tips 1 - 10 of 28 Rome Things to Do
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Trevi Fountain is the most famous fountain in the world, and not just because Anita Ekberg lifted up her gown to wade through its waters after dancing through the night streets with a white kitten in her arms.
The fountain is set entirely against Palazzo Poli. Designing and building Trevi was the work of many geniuses and the project was the master of all master works. I will not bore you with the historical facts, since you have probably read about it plenty of times already. In this tip, I am just giving you a quick once-over of one of the best symbols of Rome.
The central figure of the fountain is Neptune riding a chariot in the shape of a shell. The chariot is pulled by two sea horses and guided by two Tritons. One of the horses is calm, while the other one restive: they are the symbols of the sea's fluctuating moods. The Tritons, one young and the other old, represent the life of man.
On the left hand side of Neptune is Abundance the God of Wealth, and on the right, Salubrity the God of Health. One of the bas-reliefs above the sculptures depicts the young maiden who showed the Roman soldiers where to find water.
Because of tourist congregation at Trevi, the best time to visit is dawn. I have seen Trevi under all different temperatures, weather, times, and seasons, but I will never forget one early morning in April when I was at the fountain at 6:30, after a storm had passed through and left the city sparkling clean. All the coins were fished out; there was no tint of colour on the statues or the water. There was no chatter of human voices and no clicking noise of cameras. There was absolutely nothing except Neptune, the horses and me.
That's when it was most beautiful, the Trevi I love.
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Address: Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Roma
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Domenico Fontana built Acqua Felice Fountain (or Moses' Fountain) for Pope Sisto V in 1585.
The fountain is in the shape of a triumph arch, entirely in marble. The four ionic columns -- two in beige and two in grey -- stand in support of the structure. High above all the inscriptions is the Pope's coat of arm, flanked by two standing angels and two small obelisks. Below and in front of the columns are four lions standing guard.
The central figure in the fountain shows Moses looking very awkward with arms too short for his body. It is uncertain whether this is the work of Leonardo Sormani or Prospero Antichi. The bas-relief on the left is by Giovanni Battista Della Porta, showing Aaron leading the Israelites to the water to quench their thirst. The one on the right, by Flaminio Vacca and Pier Paolo Olivieri, shows Joshua guiding the Israelites through the Jordan desert.
The fountain is fed by water from the aqueduct Felice, which is named after the Pope's birth name of Felice Peretti.
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Address: Via XX Settembre, Piazza di San Bernardo
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Originally hung on a wall on Via Sistina, the Fountain of the Bees was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1644. The work was done for Pope Urbano VIII Barberini, thus the bee -- his family crest -- adorned the base of the shell. The basin also has the shape of another shell that matched the upper one to form an open clam.
Around the mid 1800s, it was dismantled and some parts were lost. In 1915, it was restored and due to traffic purpose, the city decided to move it to the north side of Piazza Barberini.
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Address: Where Via Veneto meets Piazza Barberini
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One of the most characteristic piazze in Rome is Piazza di Spagna. In the center of that irregular and sublime piazza is Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat).
This fountain stands apart from all other fountains not because of its grandeur but because the lack of it. This unusually beautiful creation is the work of the famous team Bernini -- father Pietro and son Gian Lorenzo -- under the commission of Pope Urbano VIII Barberini in 1627. The design is a boat semi-submerged in a huge bathtub, with water gently flowing out through leaks. It's a brilliant solution to the problem of low pressure in the aqueduct Vergine, the feeding source of water to the fountain.
The sun and the bees on the bow and stern are the symbol and family crest of Pope Urbano.
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Address: Piazza di Spagna
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Fontana del Tritone is Gian Lorenzo Bernini's masterpiece. It is unfortunate that its location is one of the heaviest traffic areas in the city.
This is another work commissioned by Pope Urbano VIII Barberini in 1642, and as usual, it carries a rather grandiose notion.
In the middle of the fountain and atop a scalloped shell that is supported by four dolphins, a Triton is blowing a conch shell. This image is taken directly from Ovid's Metamorphosis, which describes a Triton singing in the royal palace of the mythical Sun. One doesn't need a great imagination to see the allusion: together with the bee, the sun is Pope Urbano's emblem, and Palazzo Barberini is just a few steps from this beautiful landmark.
In Bernini's original drawing, the water was supposed to reach the scalloped shell before flowing over to the basin below. When the high pressure forced the water jet from the conch shell, a sound would emit from it.
What Bernini did not predict is that in modern times, water conservation is very important. The decrease of water pressure from the aqueduct Felice means lower water pressure; that, along with higher traffic noise, is a bad blow to the song of the Triton.
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Address: Piazza Barberini
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Fontana della Terrina was designed by Giacomo Della Porta for Pope Gregorio XIII Boncompagni in 1590.
The fountain was placed in Campo de' Fiori. Due to the low pressure of the aqueduct Vergine, it was placed below the street level. In the first few years after it was built, the fountain was frequently littered and abused by the public. For its protection, a cover was added with the inscription that read: "Love God and don't go astray, do good things and let others have their say" (Ama Dio e non fallire, fa del bene e lassa dire). With the cover, the fountain looked just like a cooking dish. Thus was born the name "The Fountain of the Terrine".
It was removed in 1889 make room for the statue of Giordano Bruno, and later, in 1924, it was relocated to Piazza di Chiesa Nuova.
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Address: Piazza di Chiesa Nuova
Directions: About 4 blocks northeast of Campo de' Fiori and off Corso Vittorio Emanuele is Piazza di Chiesa Nuova.
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In 1561, Pope Pio IV de' Medici commissioned Nanni de Baccio Bigio to replace the ruined medieval gate in the Aurelian wall with one called Porta Flaminia. That was the first step in creating a framework for the new piazza.
In 1572, Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni ordered Giacomo Della Porta to build a fountain. This is Della Porta's first work. The Pope thought it was inadequate for the size of the piazza, so he had it moved to Piazza Nicosia.
In 1589, Pope Sisto V Peretti ordered Domenico Fontana to re-erect the Flaminio obelisk in the center of the piazza. This is the second oldest obelisk dedicated to Pharaoh Rameses II. It is dated from the 13th century BC and was originally erected in Heliopolis. Emperor Cesare Augusto brought it to Rome and placed it in Circo Massimo. When the obelisk was re-erected, a star -- Pope Sisto V's symbol -- was added to the top.
In 1655, on the occasion of Queen Cristina of Sweden's arrival, the gate was renamed Porta del Popolo.
In 1815, Giuseppe Valadier redesigned the piazza by adding the walls, thus giving the interior an oval shape. He also added the central fountain and the four white Egyptian lions around the obelisk, with water falling like fans into round basins.
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Address: Piazza del Popolo
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On the left side of Piazza del Popolo, Giuseppe Valadier placed a fountain with a group of statues carved by Giovanni Ceccharini. The fountain has Neptune holding a trident and two Tritons at his feet, riding two dolphins. This is one of the two most boring fountains in the city. I would hate to spend my life as a sidekick to anyone, and a sidekick fountain (to Fontana dell' Obelisco) is certainly an even worse fate.
Don't confuse this Fontana del Nettuno with another with the same name on Piazza Navona.
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Address: Piazza del Popolo
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This fountain is placed on the far right side of Piazza del Popolo. Also designed by Giuseppe Valadier in 1823 and carved by Giovanni Ceccarini, its shape matches that of Neptune's Fountain on the opposite side. The statue in the middle is the goddess of Rome, armed with a lance and a helmet. The two river gods by her sides are Tevere and Aniene. At her feet is the she-wolf, feeding Romolo and Remo.
Remember what I said about Neptune's Fountain being one of the two most boring fountains in the city? You just met the other one.
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Address: Piazza del Popolo
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Giacomo della Porta erected this fountain at the south end of Piazza Navona in 1575 during the reign of Pope Gregorio XIII Boncompagni. Taddeo Landini, Simone Moschino, Silla Longhi, and Egidio della Riviera carved the four Tritons and the four masks.
The basin was made with the special antique rose marble known as Holy Door (Portasanta) because it was used for the doorjambs at St Peter's. In correspondence with the four curved sides of the basin, there are four Tritons blowing shells from which jets of water exit.
In 1654, under the influence of Pope Innocenzo X Pamphilj's sister in law Dame Olimpia (Pimpaccia) Maidalchini, Bernini designed and Giovanni Antonio Mari carved the central figure in the fountain showing a muscular Triton riding a dolphin. This figure was called "The Moor" (Moro) due to its facial features.
During another restoration in 1874, all original sculptures were moved to the fountain in Villa Borghese's Giardino del Lago and Luigi Amici made the substitute copies that are on the Fountain of the Moor today.
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Address: Piazza Navona
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Join a Discussion 10 year old girl in Rome in August...What side trips? What to do in Rome?
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Paisleypaul Sun Jun 7, 2009 11:30 UTC
Tremendous Rome pages, really like how easy it is for us all to discover our own little niches for cafes and ristorante. Can't believe it's been nearly 3 years - we'll be back by ferragosto | jbrown8512 Sun Apr 12, 2009 18:42 UTC
I have seen similar. This is their "job" and no human kindnesses are included. They are afraid you'll get a picture. | HotCarpaccio Fri Jan 2, 2009 11:16 UTC
Roman taxi drivers including the authentic ones are generally crooked. They often travel extra distances, or try to short change you. They were the single worst thing about our stay. | mareilla Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:57 UTC
Mom and I often went to Cafe Greco to star gaze. We were most enchanted by the spectre of an aging Maestro Di Chirico ensconsed on the love seat reviewing the drawing portfolios of the eager young artists as he took his morning coffee. |
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