In the Rione Ponte, overlooked by Palazzo Lancellotti, is this little gem, a fascinating and little-known fountain with an ‘adventurous’ history, designed by one of the most famous architects of the late 16th century.
A ‘travelling’ work of art in the heart of Rome
Located in the centre of the enchanting Piazzetta di San Simeone, just beside Via dei Coronari, the fountain was built in 1589 by the stonemason Pietro Gucci, based on a design by Giacomo Della Porta. The work, commissioned by Pope Gregorio XIII, was designed to be placed in the now disappeared Piazza Montanara, a lively area of Rome adjacent to the Theatre of Marcellus: the simple, linear style suited the picturesque location and the popular function it was intended for. In 1932, with the urbanistic changes to the entire area for the opening of the Via del Mare (now Via Petroselli), the fountain was moved to Parco Savello, the splendid Orange Garden on the Aventine Hill ‒ designed in the same year by Raffaele De Vico ‒ where it remained until 1973 when it was finally placed in its present location.
Simple, small and pretty: a fountain in continuous transformation
A sober circular moulded basin and spouts from which water gushed out: the fountain was originally an example of architectural essentiality. A silent witness to the history and changes of Rome, it also underwent a series of modifications and ornamental additions. In 1696, it was enriched with the emblems of Pope Innocent XII and a second basin, supported by a small column, placed on a cubic marble element, decorated with four masks from which water poured into the basin below. The work underwent subsequent interventions in 1829 when the current lower basin took the place of the previous one - already replaced in the past - and removed the papal emblems, the coats of arms of the Capitoline Conservatori of the time ‒ Paolo Carandini, Odoardo De‘ Quintili, Paolo Martinez and Pietro De’ Vecchi (prior of the Caporioni) ‒ were sculpted.
Photo Redazione Turismo Roma
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