The Magificent First Masterpieces by Bernini

The Magificent First Masterpieces by Bernini One can find Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia water fountain, at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this area is flooded with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy conversation and each other's company. The streets neighboring his water fountain have come to be one of the city’s most stylish gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In about 1630, the great master built the very first water fountain of his career at the behest of Pope Ubano VIII. People can now see the fountain as a depiction of a great ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great flooding of the Tevere that covered the whole region with water in the 16th was memorialized by this momentous fountain as recorded by documents dating back to this period. In 1665 Bernini journeyed to France, in what was to be his only prolonged absence from Italy.

Gian Bernini's Outdoor Fountains

Gian Bernini's Outdoor Fountains There are numerous famous fountains in Rome’s city center. One of the greatest sculptors and artists of the 17th century, almost all of them were designed, conceived and constructed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Also a city designer, he had capabilities as a water fountain developer, and marks of his life's work are apparent throughout the streets of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. An outstanding worker, Bernin received compliments and the the backing of popes and important artists. At the start he was recognized for his sculptural skills. He used his ability and melded it gracefully with Roman marble, most notably in the Vatican. Though he was influenced by many, Michelangelo had the most serious impact on him, both personally and professionally.

Aqueducts: The Remedy to Rome's Water Troubles

Aqueducts: The Remedy to Rome's Water Troubles Aqua Anio Vetus, the first raised aqueduct built in Rome, started off supplying the many people living in the hills with water in 273 BC, although they had relied on natural springs up till then. Aqueducts: Remedy Rome's Water Troubles 72719770307651.jpg

Aqueducts: Remedy Rome's Water Troubles 72719770307651.jpg

If residents residing at higher elevations did not have accessibility to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to count on the remaining existing technologies of the day, cisterns that compiled rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that drew the water from under ground. From the beginning of the sixteenth century, water was routed to Pincian Hill through the subterranean channel of Acqua Vergine. Pozzi, or manholes, were made at regular intervals along the aqueduct’s channel. While these manholes were developed to make it less difficult to protect the aqueduct, it was also feasible to use buckets to extract water from the channel, which was employed by Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi from the time he purchased the property in 1543 to his death in 1552. The cistern he had made to obtain rainwater wasn’t adequate to meet his water specifications. Through an opening to the aqueduct that ran underneath his property, he was in a position to satisfy his water wants.