Back Story of Garden Fountains

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Back Story of Garden Fountains The translation of hundreds of ancient Greek texts into Latin was commissioned by the learned Pope Nicholas V who ruled the Church in Rome from 1397 till 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. Beginning in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent restoration at the behest of the Pope. The historical Roman custom of marking the entry point of an aqueduct with an magnificent celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The architect Leon Battista Alberti was directed by the Pope to build a wall fountain where we now find the Trevi Fountain. Changes and extensions, included in the restored aqueduct, eventually provided the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply.

The Circulation of Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge in Europe

The Circulation of Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge in Europe The published papers and illustrated books of the day contributed to the evolution of scientific innovation, and were the primary methods of spreading practical hydraulic concepts and water feature suggestions all through Europe. In the later part of the 1500's, a French water fountain designer (whose name has been lost) was the internationally distinguished hydraulics innovator. His competence in designing gardens and grottoes with incorporated and brilliant water attributes began in Italy and with commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. “The Principles of Moving Forces”, a publication that turned into the essential text on hydraulic technology and engineering, was authored by him toward the end of his lifetime in France. Circulation Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge Europe 46302511953.jpg

Circulation Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge Europe 46302511953.jpg

Replacing key hydraulic advancements of classical antiquity, the book also details modern hydraulic technologies. Archimedes, the developer of the water screw, had his work showcased and these integrated a mechanized way to move water. Natural light heated the liquid in two undetectable containers next to the beautiful water feature were shown in an illustration. The hot liquid expands and subsequently rises and closes the pipes thereby activating the water fountain. The book also includes garden ponds, water wheels, water feature designs.

The Beautiful First Wonders by Bernini

The Beautiful First Wonders by Bernini The Barcaccia, Bernini's very first fountain, is a magnificent chef d'oeuvre built at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. This area is still filled with Roman locals and visitors who like to exchanging gossip or going over the day's news. The streets neighboring his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most stylish meeting places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In about 1630, the great master built the very first water fountain of his career at the behest of Pope Ubano VIII. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a commanding ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. 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 1665 Bernini traveled to France, in what was to be his sole extended absence from Italy.

Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Problems

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Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Problems Previous to 273, when the 1st elevated aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was built in Rome, residents who dwelled on hills had to journey further down to collect their water from natural sources. When aqueducts or springs weren’t easily accessible, people living at greater elevations turned to water removed from underground or rainwater, which was made available by wells and cisterns. To supply water to Pincian Hill in the early sixteenth century, they employed the emerging method of redirecting the movement from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct’s underground channel. Through its original building and construction, pozzi (or manholes) were located at set intervals alongside the aqueduct’s channel. Even though they were originally designed to make it possible to support the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi started using the manholes to collect water from the channel, opening when he bought the property in 1543. Whilst the cardinal also had a cistern to amass rainwater, it didn’t produce enough water. That is when he decided to create an access point to the aqueduct that ran beneath his property.