Las fuentes de la Plaza Navona

In the Piazza Navona in Rome there are three marvellous fountains situated. They are supplied by the spring Aqua Virgo. The fountains are the most important attraction of the square and, most of all, these are the ones to attract the tourists there.

The most famous one is the baroque fountain di Quattro Fiumi (the Fountain of the Four Rivers). It was built between 1647 and 1651, and designed by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. It is located in the central part of the square. In the central part of the fountain there is an Italian obelisk which was brought here from ruins of via Appia by the order of Pope. Figures symbolize the biggest rivers on four continents. The sculpture with a raised hand depicts the Rio de la Plata from the South America, the silhouette mounting a horse represents the Danube and Europe, whereas Asia is represented by the Ganges. The last figure has a covered head, it is a symbol of Africa and the Nile since at the moment of construction works on the fountain the source of the river was not known yet. The figures stand between exotic plants or animals which can be found in the continents (e.g. palms, lions, crocodiles).

In the Navona square there are two more fountains. In the north, there is the Fountain of Neptune designed by the architect Giacomo della Porta. The central figure, the god of water, is surrounded by sea nymphs. Interestingly, the figure of Neptune was added to the fountain in 1878. Whereas in the south part of the square there is the Fountain del Moro designed by Bernini. In the centre there is a Moor surrounded by dolphins and other sea animals.