Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Water Fountains
Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Water Fountains Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a breath taking work of art found at the foot 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. Bernini would without a doubt have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that around his amazing fountain. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the very first water fountain of the master's career. A large ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean is the fountain's main theme. Period writings dating back to the 16th century indicate that the fountain was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In what became his one and only prolonged absence from Italy, Bernini {journeyed | traveled] to France in 1665.The Source of Modern Garden Fountains
The Source of Modern Garden Fountains The translation of hundreds of ancient Greek documents into Latin was commissioned by the learned Pope Nicholas V who led the Church in Rome from 1397 until 1455. In order to make Rome worthy of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope resolved to embellish the beauty of the city. Restoration of the Acqua Vergine, a ruined Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away, began in 1453 at the behest of the Pope.
The City Of Rome, Gian Bernini, And Water Fountains
The City Of Rome, Gian Bernini, And Water Fountains In Rome’s city center, there are many celebrated fountains. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the finest sculptors and artists of the 17th century planned, conceived and constructed almost all of them. Also a city architect, he had skills as a water feature designer, and marks of his life's work are noticeable throughout the avenues of Rome. A celebrated Florentine sculptor, Bernini's father mentored his young son, and they eventually moved to Rome to fully showcase their art, mainly in the form of public water fountains and water features.