Moved to a More Suitable Location
As anyone can see, this order to pay is particularly important because, being made as usual by Master Jacopo, it may serve to confirm the theory that this fountain too was his creation. When designing irregularly shaped pools for his fountains, della Porta always combined convex and never concave curves with the straight lines and, indeed, the architecture this time is not his usual style. Nonetheless, the two big, worn masks that were part of the ornamentation in which the City Authorities (and therefore Jacopo) took an interest, do resemble, if in a somewhat more subdued manner, the masks we already know so well from Villa Borghese and the Pantheon.
I am sure that if you are familiar with Piazza Campitelli you will have noticed the odd position of this little fountain, thrust onto a corner, well away from the church of Santa Maria, and especially from the two great townhouses alongside, that used to belong to the Capizucchi and Albertoni (now Spinola) families. Though they were renovated in the 18th century, these are evidently the houses of two of the three gentlemen who requested and obtained permission to erect the fountain in the center of the square in front of their properties.
The fountain remained in the center until the beautiful church (by Carlo Rainaldi) was enlarged and reopened in 1675. As a result, it was found to be too close to the building's facade. The priests at Santa Maria protested about "the bustle and unrestrained chatter of servants, coachmen and others around the fountain" and, to solve the problem, Innocent XI (Odescalchi), in a manuscript expressly written for the purpose on September 3, 1679, ordered the fountain of S. Maria in Campitelli to be transferred to a more convenient place.
The more convenient place was the spot where it now stands, in serene isolation, overlooking the wide, peaceful Via del Mare, with the Capitoline Hill in the background; though it wasn't always like that. In fact, it is only a few years since the area was bursting with little houses and heaving with people who used to get together in another famous little square nearby: Piazza Montanara.
