Bernini's Water Fountains

Bernini's Water Fountains There are countless famed Roman water features in its city center. Almost all of them were designed, conceived and constructed by one of the greatest sculptors and designers of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Also a city builder, he had capabilities as a fountain developer, and remnants of his life's work are noticeable throughout the avenues of Rome. Ultimately travelling to Rome to completely reveal their artwork, chiefly in the form of public water fountains, Bernini’s father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, guided his young son. The young Bernini was an great worker and received praise and backing of significant painters as well as popes. His sculpture was originally his claim to glory. Working seamlessly with Roman marble, he utilized a base of knowledge in the classic Greek architecture, most obviously in the Vatican. Though he was influenced by many, Michelangelo had the most profound impact on him, both personally and professionally.

Water Transport Solutions in Historic Rome

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Water Transport Solutions in Historic Rome Rome’s first elevated aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was built in 273 BC; prior to that, people residing at higher elevations had to rely on local creeks for their water. If inhabitants residing at higher elevations did not have accessibility to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to rely on the remaining existing solutions of the day, cisterns that gathered rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that received the water from under ground. Starting in the sixteenth century, a brand new program was introduced, using Acqua Vergine’s subterranean portions to deliver water to Pincian Hill. During its initial building and construction, pozzi (or manholes) were installed at set intervals alongside the aqueduct’s channel. Though they were primarily developed to make it possible to service the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi began using the manholes to accumulate water from the channel, starting when he bought the property in 1543. Though the cardinal also had a cistern to accumulate rainwater, it couldn't provide enough water. Thankfully, the aqueduct sat under his residence, and he had a shaft opened to give him accessibility.

Back Story of Outdoor Water Fountains

Back Story of Outdoor Water Fountains Himself a highly educated man, Pope Nicholas V led the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of hundreds of ancient documents from their original Greek into Latin. In order to make Rome deserving of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope decided to enhance the beauty of the city. Restoration of the Acqua Vergine, a ruined Roman aqueduct which had transported clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away, began in 1453 at the bidding of the Pope. The historical Roman tradition of marking the arrival point of an aqueduct with an magnificent celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the area previously filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect commissioned by the Pope. Back Story Outdoor Water Fountains 980794584367429.jpg

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The aqueduct he had reconditioned included modifications and extensions which eventually allowed it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.

The Garden Fountains

The Garden Fountains The water from springs and other sources was initially supplied to the residents of nearby communities and municipalities via water fountains, whose purpose was mainly practical, not artistic. In the years before electric power, the spray of fountains was powered by gravity exclusively, often using an aqueduct or water resource located far away in the nearby hills. Fountains throughout history have been developed as memorials, impressing local citizens and tourists alike. When you enjoy a fountain at present, that is certainly not what the very first water fountains looked like. A stone basin, crafted from rock, was the first fountain, used for containing water for drinking and ceremonial functions. The original stone basins are believed to be from around 2000 B.C.. The spraying of water emerging from small jets was forced by gravity, the sole power source builders had in those days. These historic water fountains were created to be functional, commonly situated along aqueducts, streams and rivers to furnish drinking water. Beasts, Gods, and religious figures dominated the initial decorative Roman fountains, starting to appear in about 6 B.C.. The people of Rome had an intricate system of aqueducts that furnished the water for the countless fountains that were placed throughout the community.