Fontana delle Rane - Fountain of the Frogs

The Fountain of the Frogs, so named for the twelve frogs that adorn it, is located in the center of Piazza Mincio, the heart of the small district known as “Coppedè” from the name of the architect Gino Coppedè. The fountain he erected in 1924 perfectly mirrors the eclectic style, the floral suggestions and the magical atmosphere of the surrounding buildings .

Restored in October 2020, the fountain consists of a round basin, commonly called “the pond”, raised from the street level by a single low step. A massive circular pillar supports the upper basin, decorated at the base by four masks and along the rim by eight frogs, each pouring thin jets of water towards the central jet. Around the pillar, four pairs of male figures, with their hair blowing in the wind and fishing nets in their hands, blow sprays of water and support large shell-shaped tanks, into which large frogs pour water from their nostrils.

The elaborate decoration of the fountain is completed by four other shell valves, placed between the sculptural groups, and large bees sitting on the border of a four-lobed basin. The work was probably intended as a tribute to Bernini’s fountains: the upper frogs might be an homage to the turtles probably added by Bernini to the fountain in Piazza Mattei, while the bees are an immediate reference to the fountain in Piazza Barberini.