A Brief History of the Early Public Garden Fountains

A Brief History of the Early Public Garden Fountains Towns and communities depended on working water fountains to channel water for preparing food, bathing, and cleaning up from local sources like ponds, channels, or springs. In the days before electricity, the spray of fountains was driven by gravity exclusively, commonly using an aqueduct or water source located far away in the nearby mountains. The elegance and wonder of fountains make them appropriate for historical memorials. If you saw the earliest fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. The 1st accepted water fountain was a natural stone basin created that served as a receptacle for drinking water and ceremonial purposes. Brief History Early Public Garden Fountains 191857162000.jpg

Brief History Early Public Garden Fountains 191857162000.jpg

Rock basins are theorized to have been 1st made use of around 2,000 BC. The force of gravity was the energy source that operated the oldest water fountains. Drinking water was delivered by public fountains, long before fountains became ornate public statues, as pretty as they are practical. Fountains with decorative Gods, mythological beasts, and animals began to show up in Rome in about 6 B.C., made from stone and bronze. The extraordinary aqueducts of Rome furnished water to the incredible public fountains, many of which you can travel to today.

Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Fountains

Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Fountains The Barcaccia, Bernini's first water fountain, is a striking chef d'oeuvre built at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. Bernini: Genius Behind Italy's Impressive Fountains 205684723332.jpg

Bernini: Genius Behind Italy's Impressive Fountains 205684723332.jpg

To this day, this area is filled with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy debate and each other's company. Today, the city streets around Bernini's fountain are a trendy area where people go to gather, something which the artist would have been pleased to learn. In about 1630, the great artist designed the very first 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. The great 16th century flooding of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the water fountain according to writings from the time. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's one-and-only lengthy trip outside of Italy.

The Source of Modern Day Outdoor Fountains

The Source of Modern Day Outdoor Fountains The translation of hundreds of ancient Greek texts into Latin was commissioned by the scholarly Pope Nicholas V who ruled the Church in Rome from 1397 until 1455. He undertook the embellishment of Rome to make it into the model capital of the Christian world. Source Modern Day Outdoor Fountains 068196807456258540.jpg

Source Modern Day Outdoor Fountains 068196807456258540.jpg

Reconstruction of the Acqua Vergine, a desolate Roman aqueduct which had carried fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, began in 1453 at the bidding of the Pope. The ancient Roman custom of building an awe-inspiring commemorative fountain at the location where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was revived by Nicholas V. At the bidding of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the spot where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The water which eventually provided the Trevi Fountain as well as the acclaimed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona flowed from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.