The Fountain At Piazza Pia, Rome, Italy

The Piazza Pia Fountain - 1862

The fountain that stands in the Piazza Pia in Rome is one of the most delightful fountains to be found within the confines of the city. This fountain’s two outstanding Carrara columns and Corinthian style capitals will please both architect and interested tourist alike. The inscription on this fountain tells us much about its history. It was commissioned by Pope Pius IX in 1862, and as the inscription tells us this was the sixteenth year of his reign as Pope. Many people hold that the fountains’ sculptures are quite similar to the styles of Luigi Amici and Bitta Zappala, and these artists would in later years create sculptures for the fountain located in the Piazza Navona. The actual designer of the Piazza Pia fountain is still unknown. Some experts lay its creation at the door of Tenerani who was a renowned sculptor who worked during the papacy of Pius IX and did much work on his behalf; however Tenerani was extremely well known and the chances are that there would be a recording of his involvement if this were true.

The Piazza Pia fountain was initially fed by water from the Acqua Paola and was constructed as a replacement for a fountain in the same square that had been designed by the famous Roman architect Carlo Maderno. It is thought that Maderno’s original fountain "the Mask of the Borgo" was probably irreparably damaged by the work of the very water that fed it, hence the need for a replacement. If you take a look at the current statue you can indeed still see the effects that its water has had to this day. The white construction material used here is now blackened by water deposits, although it is still possible to make out its stylish vase and dolphin sculptures. Although its original beauty is now marred this is still a fountain of note within Rome with specific historical significance. It is interesting to note, for example, that this fountain within the Piazza Pia is probably one of the last two remaining fountains from the time of Papal Rome with the other situated in the Piazza Mastai.