The squares and the
fountains of Rome
fountains of Rome
Residenza Alexander offers you a tour of the most beautiful squares and fountains in Rome.
A journey through history, art and culture.
Piazza del Popolo
It is one of the most famous squares in Rome, the last realization of Papal Rome.
Over time it has undergone many changes and what you see today is the result of the work of the various popes who have followed, which has led to the appearance of three churches on the square: Santa Maria del Popolo, the oldest on the north side , and the two twin churches on the south side, called Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto.
hey are not the only two twins in the square: on the two east and west sides you can see the fountain of Neptune and the fountain of the goddess of Rome. In the center of the square stands the "Flaminio" obelisk.
It was the first obelisk to be moved to Rome, at the time of Augustus, to celebrate the conquest of Egypt.
It is one of the most famous squares in Rome, the last realization of Papal Rome.
Over time it has undergone many changes and what you see today is the result of the work of the various popes who have followed, which has led to the appearance of three churches on the square: Santa Maria del Popolo, the oldest on the north side , and the two twin churches on the south side, called Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto.
hey are not the only two twins in the square: on the two east and west sides you can see the fountain of Neptune and the fountain of the goddess of Rome. In the center of the square stands the "Flaminio" obelisk.
It was the first obelisk to be moved to Rome, at the time of Augustus, to celebrate the conquest of Egypt.
Piazza di Spagna
Elegance is undoubtedly the main feature of the square: the frame offered by the ocher-colored buildings, the Bernini fountain and the staircase on which the Trinità dei Monti church stands contribute to creating a refined and eighteenth-century atmosphere.
Once the home of illustrious poets such as John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, the square today represents a priceless cultural heritage.
Located at the foot of the Pincio hill, the Spanish Steps have always represented the center of cultural and tourist life in the city of Rome.
Elegance is undoubtedly the main feature of the square: the frame offered by the ocher-colored buildings, the Bernini fountain and the staircase on which the Trinità dei Monti church stands contribute to creating a refined and eighteenth-century atmosphere.
Once the home of illustrious poets such as John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, the square today represents a priceless cultural heritage.
Located at the foot of the Pincio hill, the Spanish Steps have always represented the center of cultural and tourist life in the city of Rome.
Piazza Barberini
In the current historical center of Rome, it is located between the Quirinale hill and the Horti Sallustiani.
At the center of the square is the Triton fountain created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Composed of four dolphins with their heads down, they support a large shell with their valves open, in the center of which stands the marine god Triton in the act of blowing upwards, through a marine whelk, a jet of water that falls into a tank below.
In the current historical center of Rome, it is located between the Quirinale hill and the Horti Sallustiani.
At the center of the square is the Triton fountain created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Composed of four dolphins with their heads down, they support a large shell with their valves open, in the center of which stands the marine god Triton in the act of blowing upwards, through a marine whelk, a jet of water that falls into a tank below.
Fontana di Trevi
It is the largest and most well-known of Rome's fountains.
The theme of the whole composition is the sea. The scenography is dominated by a rocky cliff that occupies the entire lower part of the building, at the center of which we find a large niche delimited by columns that makes it stand out as if it were under a triumphal arch.
Here stands a large statue of a cultured ocean as he steps on a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two winged horses, nicknamed respectively "agitated horse" (the one on the left) and "placid horse", in reference to the analogous moments of the sea at times calm and sometimes stormy.
On the sides of the large central niche there are two other niches, smaller, occupied by the statues of Health (on the right of Ocean) and of Abundance (on the left), the latter depicted while holding the symbolic horn full of fruits and coins.
It is the largest and most well-known of Rome's fountains.
The theme of the whole composition is the sea. The scenography is dominated by a rocky cliff that occupies the entire lower part of the building, at the center of which we find a large niche delimited by columns that makes it stand out as if it were under a triumphal arch.
Here stands a large statue of a cultured ocean as he steps on a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two winged horses, nicknamed respectively "agitated horse" (the one on the left) and "placid horse", in reference to the analogous moments of the sea at times calm and sometimes stormy.
On the sides of the large central niche there are two other niches, smaller, occupied by the statues of Health (on the right of Ocean) and of Abundance (on the left), the latter depicted while holding the symbolic horn full of fruits and coins.
Pantheon
Dedicated to the worship of all the gods, the Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian between 120 and 124 AD. At the beginning of the seventh century it was converted into a Christian basilica called Santa Maria ad Martyres.
The Pantheon basically consists of three parts: the Pronao, the Avancorpo and the Rotonda. But its fundamental element is the "void". This is perceived as soon as you enter the magnificent cell, an element for which the Pantheon is deservedly famous in the history of architecture of all times, and for which thousands of visitors crowd it every day.
The cell (naos), an extraordinary circular space, whose diameter of m. 43.44 is equal to the height from the ground of the hemispherical dome that covers it, illuminated by a central oculus of m. 8.92 in diameter. From here the sunlight, at certain times of the year, perfectly illuminates some of the satellite compartments that articulate the walls.
Starting from the Renaissance in the Pantheon, as in all churches, burials were made, in particular by illustrious artists. The tombs of the painters Raffaello Sanzio and Annibale Carracci, the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi and the musician Arcangelo Corelli are still preserved there, among others.
The Pantheon also preserves the tombs of the two first kings of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II and his son Umberto I.
Dedicated to the worship of all the gods, the Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian between 120 and 124 AD. At the beginning of the seventh century it was converted into a Christian basilica called Santa Maria ad Martyres.
The Pantheon basically consists of three parts: the Pronao, the Avancorpo and the Rotonda. But its fundamental element is the "void". This is perceived as soon as you enter the magnificent cell, an element for which the Pantheon is deservedly famous in the history of architecture of all times, and for which thousands of visitors crowd it every day.
The cell (naos), an extraordinary circular space, whose diameter of m. 43.44 is equal to the height from the ground of the hemispherical dome that covers it, illuminated by a central oculus of m. 8.92 in diameter. From here the sunlight, at certain times of the year, perfectly illuminates some of the satellite compartments that articulate the walls.
Starting from the Renaissance in the Pantheon, as in all churches, burials were made, in particular by illustrious artists. The tombs of the painters Raffaello Sanzio and Annibale Carracci, the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi and the musician Arcangelo Corelli are still preserved there, among others.
The Pantheon also preserves the tombs of the two first kings of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II and his son Umberto I.
Piazza Navona
It is one of the most famous squares in Rome, built by the Pamphili family to celebrate its size.
Its shape is that of an ancient stadium and follows the position of the Domitian Stadium of ancient Rome. Piazza Navona is a symbol of Baroque Rome, with architectural and sculptural elements by Gian lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi.
Among the most important works inside the square, there is the Fountain of the Four Rivers located in front of the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. The fountain on top of which stands an Egyptian obelisk imitating from the Roman era, found in 1647 in the circus of Maxentius on the Via Appia.
The arrangement of the obelisk on the central sculptural group reaffirmed the validity of an innovation that Bernini himself had experimented, in 1643, with the construction of the Triton fountain, and which was contrary to all the architectural canons of the time: the monolith was not it rested in fact on a compact central group, but on a hollow structure, which left a void in the center and on which only the edges of the base of the obelisk rested.
The statues represent the allegories of the four main rivers of the Earth, one for each of the continents known at the time, which in the work are represented as marble giants that sit resting on the central travertine rock: the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata.
It is one of the most famous squares in Rome, built by the Pamphili family to celebrate its size.
Its shape is that of an ancient stadium and follows the position of the Domitian Stadium of ancient Rome. Piazza Navona is a symbol of Baroque Rome, with architectural and sculptural elements by Gian lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi.
Among the most important works inside the square, there is the Fountain of the Four Rivers located in front of the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. The fountain on top of which stands an Egyptian obelisk imitating from the Roman era, found in 1647 in the circus of Maxentius on the Via Appia.
The arrangement of the obelisk on the central sculptural group reaffirmed the validity of an innovation that Bernini himself had experimented, in 1643, with the construction of the Triton fountain, and which was contrary to all the architectural canons of the time: the monolith was not it rested in fact on a compact central group, but on a hollow structure, which left a void in the center and on which only the edges of the base of the obelisk rested.
The statues represent the allegories of the four main rivers of the Earth, one for each of the continents known at the time, which in the work are represented as marble giants that sit resting on the central travertine rock: the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata.
Campo de' Fiori
Until the fifteenth century, the square as such did not exist. In its place there was a flowery meadow and some vegetable gardens, hence the name.
For centuries Campo de 'Fiori has been the stage for public executions. Among these, the Dominican friar Giordano Bruno went down in history, whose statue dominates the center of the square, which took place in 1600.
Since 1869 the square has been home to a lively and picturesque fruit and vegetable market.
Campo de 'Fiori is the only historical square in Rome where there is no church.
Until the fifteenth century, the square as such did not exist. In its place there was a flowery meadow and some vegetable gardens, hence the name.
For centuries Campo de 'Fiori has been the stage for public executions. Among these, the Dominican friar Giordano Bruno went down in history, whose statue dominates the center of the square, which took place in 1600.
Since 1869 the square has been home to a lively and picturesque fruit and vegetable market.
Campo de 'Fiori is the only historical square in Rome where there is no church.
