The Roman aqueducts were the great invention that fed water into the baths and fountains, which is where the public obtained water from, this tradition is still practiced by the poor in Italy today. Fountains served an important purpose in ancient Rome, and therefore featured elaborate detailing and ornate decoration. We gather this information from ancient writers and also the information that they were considered to be very important structural features of a city. Often decorated with ornamental statues and base-relief. Families that were of the higher ranks were able to have private fountain on their estates, with pipes that linked from the main reservoir to their personal water feature. Many of these fountains featured a marble basin, above which featured a single tier or sometimes multiple tiers of fountains.
Much of the knowledge of these early fountains actually comes from the remains of Pompeii, where detailed mosaic fountains are found, as well as marbled figurine finials. Public fountains were typically located in large open spaces or in central locations in cities. Water would often flow through the mouth of a man, woman, or child statue or often out of animal heads that were placed into a wall, creating wall fountains. Water from these fountains would then flow into a basin.
The Italians were fated to love and create beautiful fountains, it was a hereditary part of their culture. Italy features an abundance of fountains, no country can rival them! The fountains of Italy take viewers on a journey back in time, to a place where fountains were the cornerstone of the culture, where today they mark a stunning vision for tourists, as well as the same practical purposes fountains were used for historically.