Bernini’s First Italian Fountains
Bernini’s First Italian Fountains One can see Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia fountain, at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, you will see Roman locals and vacation goers occupying this space to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. One of the city’s most fashionable gathering places are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would certainly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. The master's very first water fountain of his career was built at around 1630 at the behest of Pope Urbano VIII. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a commanding ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean. Period reports dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was constructed as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere.
Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Problems
Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Problems Prior to 273, when the first elevated aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was built in Rome, citizens who resided on hillsides had to go even further down to gather their water from natural sources. If inhabitants residing at higher elevations did not have access to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to count on the other existing systems of the day, cisterns that compiled rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that drew the water from below ground.