Fontana Abbeveratorio detta delle Conche

This fountain was built to be a trough in front of the monumental fountain of Julius III with which it created an unusual presentation stage to the pope’s palace at the end of the road.

In 1672 cardinal Federico Borromeo restored the fountain creating a magnificent floor and adding his coat of arms, an inscription and the mask with a valve.

When the fountain of the Babuino was removed in 1877 from Via del Babuino for traffic requirements, the statue of Silenus was moved to the courtyard of Palazzo Boncompagni and the pond replaced the one in the trough.

When the fountain with the Silenus was reassembled in 1957, the pond was brought back to Via del Babuino and replaced in Via Flaminia by an identical granite copy. The structure of the entire fountain trough was redesigned by architect Vittorio Grassi and entirely rebuilt in 1934 by Armando Foschini, adding a central vessel surmounted by two half-vessels on the sides to the granite pond. All leans against a travertine wall.

Photo: Redazione Turismo Roma