Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Greatest Water Fountains

Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Greatest Water Fountains The Barcaccia, a beautiful water fountain constructed at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest fountain. To this day, this area is flooded with Roman locals and tourists alike who enjoy conversation and each other's company. Today, the city streets around Bernini's water fountain are a trendy place where people go to meet, something which the artist would have been pleased to learn. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the very first water fountain of the artist's career. A large ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean is the fountain's main theme. According to 16th century reports, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was memorialized by the eye-catching fountain. In 1665 Bernini journeyed to France, in what was to be his sole lengthy absence from Italy.

The Water Garden Fountains

The Water Garden Fountains As originally developed, water fountains were designed to be functional, directing water from creeks or aqueducts to the citizens of cities and settlements, where the water could be used for cooking food, washing, and drinking. The force of gravity was the power supply of water fountains up until the end of the nineteenth century, using the potent power of water traveling downhill from a spring or brook to squeeze the water through spigots or other outlets. The splendor and wonder of fountains make them perfect for historic memorials. If you saw the very first fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. A stone basin, carved from rock, was the first fountain, utilized for holding water for drinking and spiritual functions. The oldest stone basins are presumed to be from about 2000 BC. The spray of water appearing from small spouts was pushed by gravity, the only power source builders had in those days. These original fountains were built to be functional, often situated along reservoirs, streams and waterways to supply drinking water. Water Garden Fountains 87364318143045541780.jpg

Water Garden Fountains 87364318143045541780.jpg

Fountains with flowery decoration started to appear in Rome in approximately 6 B.C., normally gods and creatures, made with natural stone or bronze. Water for the community fountains of Rome arrived to the city via a complicated system of water aqueducts.

Inventors of the First Fountains

Inventors First Fountains 460426763179274.jpg

Inventors of the First Fountains Frequently serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars, all in one, fountain designers were multi-faceted individuals from the 16th to the late 18th century. Throughout the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci illustrated the creator as an inspired genius, creator and scientific specialist. The forces of nature led him to research the qualities and motion of water, and due to his curiosity, he carefully recorded his ideas in his now famed notebooks. Transforming private villa settings into innovative water showcases packed with symbolic interpretation and natural beauty, early Italian fountain designers paired curiosity with hydraulic and gardening expertise. The humanist Pirro Ligorio supplied the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli and was renowned for his skill in archeology, architecture and garden concepts. Other water fountain engineers, masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water functions and water antics for the many mansions near Florence, were well-versed in humanistic themes and traditional scientific texts.

Acqua Vergine: The Answer to Rome's Water Troubles

Acqua Vergine: The Answer to Rome's Water Troubles Acqua Vergine: Answer Rome's Water Troubles 810613459224866.jpg

Rome’s very first raised aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was built in 273 BC; before that, citizens living at higher elevations had to depend on local springs for their water. During this time period, there were only two other innovations capable of supplying water to elevated areas, subterranean wells and cisterns, which accumulated rainwater. Beginning in the sixteenth century, a new system was introduced, using Acqua Vergine’s subterranean sections to generate water to Pincian Hill. As originally constructed, the aqueduct was provided along the length of its channel with pozzi (manholes) constructed at regular intervals. Although they were primarily planned to make it possible to support the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi started out using the manholes to collect water from the channel, opening when he purchased the property in 1543. Apparently, the rainwater cistern on his property wasn’t adequate to meet his needs. Via an orifice to the aqueduct that flowed under his property, he was in a position to reach his water wants.