Church by the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi at Piazza Navona in Rome
The Piazza Navona is large enough to accomodate three large fountains. One on each end of the piazza and one in the middle. Fountains seems to be luxury which Rome could afford, with the restoration of the aqueduct which provides them with water, building fountains are no longer an issue. I have heard of Rome’s fountains from a friend of mine and I was surprised to hear that you can drink from Rome’s fountains. To be honest, I still won’t want to try to drink water from the fountain no matter what they say. But if it is really potable, then I think it is a good sign that the water resources of Italy are kept in good condition.
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi at Piazza Navona in Rome
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or the Fountain of the Four Rivers is the fountain in the center of Piazza Navona. It is probably the most impressive of the three fountains here. There are statues of river gods here which represent the rivers where papal authority has spread. The Danube, Rio de Plata, Ganges and the Nile represent the regions where Christianity has spread. As you can probably tell by now, this is a monument given to the pope, so it is not surprising that there is also a large church within the vicinity of the fountain. There is also an Egyptian obelisk which rises in the middle of the fountain. I thought this was a curious feature but even Saint Peter’s Basilica has an Egyptian obelisk.
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