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 ~ Roman Monographs ~ Fountains · part II · Small Fountains PAGE 4 |
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OF THE 19th AND 20th CENTURIES
 fountain with a she-wolf's head |
The nasoni are not the only type of mass-produced fountain fouund in Rome. Around the 1930s, a certain number of white travertine prysms, whose simple design is consistent with that of most buildings of the same age, were set especially in public gardens and parks; a few of them were also placed in the central districts, in addition to the pre-existing cast iron cylinders. As a nozzle, the new fountains had the head of a she-wolf, the symbol of Rome, cast in bronze. one of the few fountains with the fasci → |
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 two she-wolf nozzles; due to an overflow, the one above spouts water both from its mouth and from the upper hole |
Several of them are extant, but very few still have the original she-wolf's head which, in the case of damage or theft, was often replaced with a plain pipe (see the picture in the introduction).
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Much prettier than the mass-produced ones are the so-called district fountains. They form a series of nine, made in 1928 by architect Pietro Lombardi, to whom the municipality had commissioned a series of small fountains for the benefit of Rome's historical districts, each of which inspired by the features of its own rione:
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Only some of them are shown above, but all of them are featured in The 22 Rioni section, in the page dedicated to the relevant district.
Among Rome's historical districts, Borgo is the only one which has two different fountains dedicated to its features, one referring to the pope (Fountain of the Tiaras) and one dedicated to Sant'Angelo Castle (Fountain of the Cannon-balls), although the latter was not among Lombardi's works.
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They both draw water from the Acqua Pia-Marcia aqueduct, whose reopening Pius IX, the last "pope king", had sponsored and given his name. Before the two district fountains were made, smaller outputs provided Borgo with the same water; among the surviving ones is the small fountain standing halfway along Borgo Pio. ← Fountain of the Cannon-balls Fountain of the Acqua Pia-Marcia → |
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 the fountain in Borgo district drawing Trevi water (1898) |
Furthermore, in the same Borgo district another small output was opened in the 1800s; this one though is connected to the ancient aqueduct once called Aqua Virgo, known today as Trevi water, whose taste is reputed better than the water drawn from the Acqua Pia-Marcia. It once stood by the no longer existing Porta Angelica (read more about this gate in The"Popes' Walls, part I, page 1). When the gate was demolished the fountain was moved to the nearby piazza delle Vaschette, where it had to be set below the ground level of the square, as the long distance from the main course of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct (see Aqueducts, page 2) would have not reached this spot with sufficient pressure, had the output not been lowered this much. |
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| Three more small fountains are worthy of being mentioned, because of their design that makes them look older than their real age. |
 the triangular fountain dedicated to cardinal Riario |
The one in via Paolina features a cherub, in a Renaissance-like fashion
despite being dated 1930 (actually, "Year VIII" of the fascist regime). It is reached by the Acqua Pia-Marcia. The unusual one in piazza della Cancelleria, made in the same year, is shaped as a triangle. A large shield pours water into a small basin similar to the old troughs described in page 1. The shield bears the insignia of cardinal Raffaele Riario, nephew of pope Sixtus IV (1471-84) and founder of the large Chancellery Palace, on the opposite side of the square (see Rione VI - Parione). Its water comes from the Aqua Virgo. |
 not a Renaissance fountain, despite the shape: the date reads 1930 |
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(← left) small fountain in via di Monte Brianzo with a bear's head (above ↑) small fountain by the oak of Torquato Tasso →
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Along the road that crosses the Janiculum Hill, by the old oak known as that of poet Torquato Tasso (see The Rioni, Trastevere), a small open air theatre was created in 1619; on the same spot, along the road, a small fountain dated 1925 is decorated with a lyre and a sword, symbols of epic poetry, referring to the aforesaid theatre.
Another rather popular output is the one called the Carlotta Fountain. Its name refers to the naive relief of an imaginary woman with long hair, spouting water into a small cylindrical basin. It hangs in a charming corner in the heart of Garbatella, a district built from 1920 to 1929.
The heavy refurbishments carried out in several parts of central Rome during the early decades of the 20th century left many families without a home; these people were taken to Garbatella, almost as refugees. In fact, in those days this used to be a faraway and rather ill-famed suburb.
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In time, though, it was gradually absorbed by the expanding urban area, and well connected to the rest of the city. Since most of its old typical houses are perfectly preserved, it is now one of Rome's most charming districts.
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 small fountains in piazza Iside (c.1900)... |
 ...in via Nicola Zabaglia, shaped as a jug (1931)... |
 ...and in piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (1926) |
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 pretty fountain in piazza Messico |
Before leaving the realm of small fountains for the more famous ones, built in larger scale, an oddity worth of being mentioned is the Fountain of the Dog (right), located in the central via Veneto, opposite the USA Embassy. This tiny output, barely noticed, maybe 60 cm (2 ft) high, was built by the owner of a nearby bar for the benefit of the pets that stroll with their masters along the famous street of the Dolce Vita. The three letters above the dog's head, ABC, referred to the name of the bar, now no longer there. |
 the Fountain of the Dog |
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