The Magificent First Wonders by Bernini

The Magificent First Wonders by Bernini One can find Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia water fountain, at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this area is flooded with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy debate and each other's company. Today, the city streets surrounding Bernini's fountain are a trendy area where people go to gather, something which the artist would have been pleased to learn. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the earliest water fountain of the artist's career. The fountain’s central theme is based on a massive boat 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. Magificent First Wonders Bernini 0212244237780057.jpg

Magificent First Wonders Bernini 0212244237780057.jpg

In 1665 Bernini journeyed to France, in what was to be his sole lengthy absence from Italy.

Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Problems

Acqua Vergine: Remedy Rome's Water Problems 61582831.jpg

Acqua Vergine: The Remedy to Rome's Water Problems With the construction of the very first raised aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Anio Vetus in 273 BC, people who lived on the city’s foothills no longer had to rely exclusively on naturally-occurring spring water for their requirements. Outside of these aqueducts and springs, wells and rainwater-collecting cisterns were the sole technologies around at the time to supply water to spots of greater elevation. In the very early 16th century, the city began to make use of the water that flowed beneath the earth through Acqua Vergine to furnish drinking water to Pincian Hill. All through the length of the aqueduct’s channel were pozzi, or manholes, that gave entry. Although they were originally developed to make it possible to service the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi started using the manholes to get water from the channel, opening when he obtained the property in 1543. The cistern he had built to obtain rainwater wasn’t adequate to meet his water requirements. Thankfully, the aqueduct sat below his residence, and he had a shaft opened to give him accessibility.