Roman Monographs - Fountains ˇ part II ˇ Small Fountains (page 2)

From the early 1500s through the 1800s the number of small fountains kept growing. These facilities could be either public or semi-public. The former ones were located on busy spots and were payed for by the city's administration, whereas the latter stood by the many family palaces where the roman aristocracy dwelt. Both types of fountains drew water from the main aqueducts, which were public properties, managed by the city's administrators for the benefit of the whole population. Private branches, i.e. for mansions, villas, gardens, cultivated fields, etc., had to be payed for. But upon request, or as a form of reward for good deeds, the noble were sometimes granted free amounts of water, on condition of building by their family house a small fountain for public use, and take care of its maintanance, at their own expenses. What was left of the amount of water could be used by the owner for his own private purposes.	Bernini's Fountain of the Bees

the three large bees	Therefore, the semi-public fountains were payed for by wealthy privates, who could often afford hiring an artist, so to obtain a better result than a simple 'trough': such fountains increased the value of the family palace or villa, and enhanced the family's reputation among the common people. However, in time many of these fountains were moved from their original site, as mentioned in page 1. Some of them changed destination more than once, due to frequent and sometimes blameworthy alterations endured by several old buildings, either following changes of property, or due to the growing traffic (carriages and coaches at first, then cars and buses).

original location of the shell (blue dot) and where it stands now (red dot).	But the fountain we see today was rebuilt and repositioned in modern times, around 1915. In fact, it originally stood on the corner with via Sistina, (opposite end of the square, see the detail on the right), hanging from the wall, as most other "troughs". Its basin had the shape of a second shell, which matched the vertical one, as in an open clam. Around the mid 1800s it was dismantled, and stored in a deposit, where some parts went lost. Therefore what we see now is close to Bernini's creation, yet not the whole original work. A curious fate was that of the Fontanella della Scrofa ("fountain of the sow"). It consisted of a plain nozzle and a tiny basin, not very different from the aforesaid Fontanella Borghese, decorated with a simple ancient roman relief, featuring a sow.

the sow (left) separated from the small outlet (right)	Due to traffic reasons, in 1874 the fountain had to be moved to the nearby corner, but since the street had already been called via della Scrofa (sow street), in order to avoid renaming the place, the relief was left on the wall. It is still there, some 15 metres or yards away from its outlet, with a plaque that remembers the fact.	detail of the sow

two old semi-public fountains, misplaced yet still working		To move a small fountain for traffic purposes was a very common practice. Most of Rome's old streets are narrow, and have no sidewalk. So when during the 19th century the number of coaches, carriages, carts, considerably grew, many of these fountains, which slightly reduced the roadway, created a problem despite their small size. For semi-public ones the new position was usually chosen round the nearest corner, or at the back of the building, so to maintain a connection with the owner's house and to keep drawing water from the same source as before. On the left are two more examples of semi-public fountains moved from their original site. One of them was recently fitted with a brass tap, to reduce the consumption of water (see also page 3).

On one end of via Lata, almost a lane crossing Rome's high street via del Corso, is the popular Fontanella del Facchino ("the porter's fountain"), despite the featured figure is really a water-carrier, holding a cask. It was hung in the mid 1500s on the front of a house no longer standing, as in the 1700s it was taken down and replaced with the mighty Palazzo De Carolis, now also called Palazzo del Banco di Roma. On the occasion, the fountain was spared, but moved round the corner, to the side of the building, where it is now.

Despite its bad state of preservation, the fountain reveals the hand of a skilled sculptor, who somebody in the past, way too optimistically, had claimed to be Michelangelo! In fact, the early owner of the building where the fountain hung, Matteo Grifoni, personally knew the renowned artist, who lived in a lane called Macel de' Corvi, only 200 metres (or yards) off this spot. But this attribution has been now completely rejected. Instead it is possible that the Florentine painter Jacopino del Conte, who became the new owner of the building where the fountain was set, may have drawn the water-carrier by himself. The fountain is also described in Curious and Unusual - page 2, as the Facchino used to be one of Rome's popular 'talking statues'.		(↑ above) a 17th century etching by G.B.Falda still shows the Facchino (į) on the front of the building; (← left) the water-carrier's fountain today, located on the opposite side of the same corner

The Fontana della Botticella ("fountain of the cask") was probably inspired by the previous one. Built in 1774, over two centuries later, it is located in lungotevere Ripetta, facing the Tiber.

However, it is still uncertain whether its personage too features a water-carrier or an inn-keeper,i.e. whether the small barrel carved at the bottom of the fountain should have contained water or wine. In fact, every day hundreds of casks of wine reached Rome via the busy river port of Ripetta, which up to the late 1800s stood on this same spot, by the river bank.

← Ripetta's fountain, recently cleaned

water-carrier or inn-keeper? →

The Babuino Fountain, in via del Babuino, is a further member of the "talking statues", together with the aforesaid Facchino and the older Marforio (part I). It was set here in the late 1500s, when secondary branches of the Salone water (the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, from which the Trevi Fountain draws its water) were created for the benefit of this growing district. By their house, the Grandi family had a semipublic fountain built in the traditional style, using a statue of a reclining sylenus and a basin, both of roman age. The statue was already in bad condition, so the common people nicknamed it babuino ("baboon") because of its weird-looking face, and after a while the whole street, originally called via Paolina Trifana (after pope Paul III), was renamed via del Babuino. Around 1730 the house changed owner, and the alterations that followed caused the fountain to be moved across the street, set in a niche shaped as a false doorway of the building (below left).	the Babuino Fountain today

The Babuino Fountain, in via del Babuino, is a further member of the "talking statues", together with the aforesaid Facchino and the older Marforio (part I).
It was set here in the late 1500s, when secondary branches of the Salone water (the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, from which the Trevi Fountain draws its water) were created for the benefit of this growing district. By their house, the Grandi family had a semipublic fountain built in the traditional style, using a statue of a reclining sylenus and a basin, both of roman age. The statue was already in bad condition, so the common people nicknamed it babuino ("baboon") because of its weird-looking face, and after a while the whole street, originally called via Paolina Trifana (after pope Paul III), was renamed via del Babuino.
Around 1730 the house changed owner, and the alterations that followed caused the fountain to be moved across the street, set in a niche shaped as a false doorway of the building (below left).

the Babuino Fountain today

old drawing of the 18th century solution	Then, some 150 years later, the fountain was dismantled: the niche was turned into an actual doorway, the basin was used for another trough located off the city walls (see below), while the popular Babuino was placed in the courtyard of the building, as a statue. Only in 1957 the municipality found a further rectangular basin that could suit the old sylenus, who was finally given back his original role, almost on the same spot where his story started. Probably due to the fact of being so ...talkative, up to year 2000 the wall by which the fountain stands used to be covered with thousands of graffiti, which were then completely removed. the small fountain in via Annia (1864) →

the oval fountain in lungotevere Aventino	One more misplaced small fountain is the one presently located in lungotevere Aventino, next to the Tiber's bank that runs below the Aventine Hill. It dates back to 1717 and it is shaped as a long narrow oval; it has a small front at one end of the basin, featuring a lion's head on the side of the nozzle and the coat of arms of pope Clement XI (Albani family) at the back. It used to stand about 150 metres or yards off its present site, very close to the larger fountain of similar age mentioned in part III, page 18, next to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and the Temple of Vesta. In fact, it was set there for purposes such as washing laundry and drinking horses, in order to spare the aforesaid fountain from being damaged or getting clotted with dirt.

the oval fountain in lungotevere Aventino

One more misplaced small fountain is the one presently located in lungotevere Aventino, next to the Tiber's bank that runs below the Aventine Hill. It dates back to 1717 and it is shaped as a long narrow oval; it has a small front at one end of the basin, featuring a lion's head on the side of the nozzle and the coat of arms of pope Clement XI (Albani family) at the back. It used to stand about 150 metres or yards off its present site, very close to the larger fountain of similar age mentioned in part III, page 18, next to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and the Temple of Vesta. In fact, it was set there for purposes such as washing laundry and drinking horses, in order to spare the aforesaid fountain from being damaged or getting clotted with dirt.

In just a few cases, small fountains benefitted from their relocation: an example can be seen at the end of via Annia, not far from the Colosseum (picture above right). Here is a 'trough-shaped' fountain, with an ancient sarcophagus and two small outlets shaped as lion heads, embellished with a decorated front featuring the coat of arms of pope Pius IX and an inscription with a date (1864), and a tiny round basin, also working, on its upper part. The structure stands on a platform with three steps, inside a niche over which hangs a further coat of arms, the city of Rome's own, flanked by a pair of small dolphins. The overall look is unusually smart for a small fountain; it is no surprise that one of the most renowned architects of the second half of the 1800s, Virginio Vespignani, is credited with its creation. The platform and the niche, though, were added at a later stage: in fact, this fountain once stood by the church of St.Clement; when it was moved, in the mid 1920s, it was given the additional elements, which make it look more important than it did originally.

The two following fountains are not really 'small', and they could certainly rank among the full-sized ones. But since one of them stands side by side with a real trough, while the other fountain has many analogies with the first one, they are both described in this page.

About 1 Km or 2/3 of a mile along the old Flaminian way, off the northernmost city gate Porta del Popolo, by a small crossing two different fountains face each other. At the bottom of the narrow street that divides them, pope Julius III (1550-55) owned a large villa, which today houses the National Museum of Villa Giulia. The two fountains - i.e. the large one for humans, the smaller trough for animals - were set here as a sort of welcome for the many travellers and pilgrims who, reaching Rome from the north, came in sight of the pope's favourite mansion. Both fountains draw water from the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, renamed Acqua di Salone during the Renaissance (see part III, page 1), whose direction towards the city runs very close to this spot, parallel to the Flaminian way.	etching by Giuseppe Vasi featuring a view of the site in the early 18th century

About 1 Km or 2/3 of a mile along the old Flaminian way, off the northernmost city gate Porta del Popolo, by a small crossing two different fountains face each other. At the bottom of the narrow street that divides them, pope Julius III (1550-55) owned a large villa, which today houses the National Museum of Villa Giulia. The two fountains - i.e. the large one for humans, the smaller trough for animals - were set here as a sort of welcome for the many travellers and pilgrims who, reaching Rome from the north, came in sight of the pope's favourite mansion. Both fountains draw water from the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, renamed Acqua di Salone during the Renaissance (see part III, page 1), whose direction towards the city runs very close to this spot, parallel to the Flaminian way.

etching by Giuseppe Vasi featuring a view of the site in the early 18th century

Of the two, the fountain on the left is named after Julius III, and it is usually listed among the full-sized fountains. It rests against a two-storey building, which up to the mid 1500s had only one floor. When architect Pirro Ligorio added a second floor, the fountain too was enlarged, and somewhat altered into its present look.

the bottom part of the fountain of Julius III	A large plaque replaced a smaller original one, and a coat of arms was hung at the top. Nevertheless, the outlet itself remained rather small, and despite the additional features, its lower part is not really different from an ordinary trough.

the fountain of Julius III, today

Facing this structure stands the second fountain, which is a real trough.
Its original shape can be told from old etchings: it had an outlet shaped as a small head in the center of a seashell, resting against a tall decorated front. This one too was heavily altered on different occasions.

the original trough and
the decorated front

In the 1800s, for unknown reasons, both the outlet and the basin were replaced with newer ones. The basin was the same one that earlier in time had supported the Babuino statue (previously mentioned). Then, in the 1930s, a rather anonymous building incorporated the small fountain, causing the loss of its decorated front.
These changes considerably diminished the appeal of this spot, once very picturesque.
Luckily, the original trough was preserved and, after some time, it was set about 100 metres (or yards) closer to the city gate, along the same Flaminian Way.

(↑ above) the new trough, on whose basin the Babuino once rested;
(↓ below) the original trough
via Flaminia

the fountain of Clement XII	Other 'welcome fountains' could be found on the opposite side of town, but only one of them is now left standing. About 3 Km or 2 miles off Porta San Giovanni, along the via Tuscolana (another main road of ancient roman origin), on the spot where a surviving stretch of the ancient Aqua Claudia aqueduct crosses the one called Aqua Felix, stands a lonely though rather ornate fountain, featuring a curious grotesque face with a pair of bat wings, that pope Sixtus V (1585-90) had built as a sort of refreshing break for travellers who moved towards Rome along this busy southern-eastern approach. Although nowadays this spot is located in one of the suburbs with the highest population density, in those days it was open countryside, barely in sight of the city walls. This fountain, that was also known as Fontana Bella ("pretty fountain"), was altered and enlarged into its present shape by pope Clement XII in 1723; therefore, ever since it has been known as 'the fountain of Clement XII'. Resting against a pillar of the Aqua Felix, it obviously draws water from the same aqueduct. It is also mentioned in Aqueducts - part III, page 2. Although heavily altered, the 'pretty fountain' is the only surviving of the three which Sixtus V had made for the spots where the Aqua Felix, i.e. the aqueduct he had sponsored, crossed main roads (in fact, the other two stood along via Casilina and via Tiburtina).

the fountain of Clement XII

Other 'welcome fountains' could be found on the opposite side of town, but only one of them is now left standing.

About 3 Km or 2 miles off Porta San Giovanni, along the via Tuscolana (another main road of ancient roman origin), on the spot where a surviving stretch of the ancient Aqua Claudia aqueduct crosses the one called Aqua Felix, stands a lonely though rather ornate fountain, featuring a curious grotesque face with a pair of bat wings, that pope Sixtus V (1585-90) had built as a sort of refreshing break for travellers who moved towards Rome along this busy southern-eastern approach. Although nowadays this spot is located in one of the suburbs with the highest population density, in those days it was open countryside, barely in sight of the city walls. This fountain, that was also known as Fontana Bella ("pretty fountain"), was altered and enlarged into its present shape by pope Clement XII in 1723; therefore, ever since it has been known as 'the fountain of Clement XII'. Resting against a pillar of the Aqua Felix, it obviously draws water from the same aqueduct. It is also mentioned in Aqueducts - part III, page 2.
Although heavily altered, the 'pretty fountain' is the only surviving of the three which Sixtus V had made for the spots where the Aqua Felix, i.e. the aqueduct he had sponsored, crossed main roads (in fact, the other two stood along via Casilina and via Tiburtina).

fountain from the former Villa Ludovisi

A few fountains were lucky enough to outlive the building they originally hung from, after the latter was demolished.

The small outlet shown on the left, located along the northern stretch of the ancient Aurelian Walls, was built with the few fragments spared from the vast villa that once belonged to the Ludovisi family (as testified by the writing FONS LUDOVISIA, i.e. "Ludovisi fountain"); the estate stretched over a very large area. When Villa Ludovisi was acquired by Rome's municipality, in the 19th century, the vast estate was used for building a whole new district, which was named after the family, Ludovisi (the 16th historical district, see its location in The Rioni). However, besides the large art collection once housed in the villa (now in the National Roman Museum), almost nothing of the villa itself was spared. The fountain is one of the very few items still extant.

the fountain in Sant'Alessio's garden

In a similar way, in a garden by the church of Sant'Alessio on the Aventine Hill, a small basin supported by a bird on a background of rocks. A tiny inscription explains that it comes from a building that stood in the no longer extant piazza Rusticucci, near the Vatican; it was set here in 1937, following the extensive demolition program carried out in Borgo district
.

pretty but... no water nor basin!

Other small fountains, instead, were not as lucky as the ones described so far.

Some were temporarily left without water, after being moved from their original site; but others, such as the tiny fontanella del Putto ("small fountain of the child"), an elegant but rather worn mid 16th century niche in via Giulia that features a child holding two dolphins, were left permanently dry.
The latter fountain (left) not only lost its water, but its basin too. This is a pity, considering that a renowned artist, Antonio Sangallo the Young, is credited for this work.

view of piazza Navona in the early 17th century; in the center
of the square is a simple 'trough' with some horses drinking

A few more disappeared for a completely opposite reason, that is to be replaced by a much larger fountain. A clear example is piazza Navona's Fountain of the Rivers, described in part III: in the mid 17th century, one of Bernini's most famous masterpieces took the place of a simple drinking-trough for horses that stood in the middle of the square (see picture above).

We shall now step further in time, and see what the small fountains made in the late 19th and 20th centuries look like.

PART I ANCIENT FOUNTAINS	PART II page 1	PART II page 3	PART II page 4	PART III MAIN FOUNTAINS