The residents of the 15th century palazzo were obliged to get water from the Piazza Venzia fountain. It was located against the buildings of St. Marks Church. There was little reluctance to bring water to the palazzo though, because in 1960, Alexander VIII donated six ounces of the Aqua Paola, but the spout had never been provided, and even in 1703 the water had not been piped in.
There is a manuscript from 1726, in which Pope Benedict give orders to “convert the gift made by Alexander VIII into a similar grant in perpetuity of six ounces of Aqua Vergine, even if this was of greater consequence and cost more per ounce." So it was then that water from the Trevi actually came to the palazzo, through the work needed to this would take another three and a half years.
During this time, the Venetian Ambassador Morosini, living in the Palazzo and had taken the trouble to obtain the water, commissioned sculptor Carlo Mondali to create the courtyard fountain. Mondaldi was given everything he needed to create the perfect fountain according to the edicts of the Ambassador. This meant, “representing the royal city on the Adriatic in the act of throwing the ring into the sea as a sign of authority”. It was also decreed that it should be finished by the end of the month of the following February. If it was not finished by then, the completion would be at the expense of the sculptor.
There was a payment agreed upon of 1120 scudi for the fountain, with the artists receiving 620 in cash, with the final 500 being paid in a kind of “bank draft”. This granting Mondaldi that "each and every pigeon that is retrieved from the public wash house that is to be built in St. Mark's palace with the returns of the water from that same fountain."
We gather that the fountain was finished on time, because the excited ambassador writes in May of 1730 that, "The fountain has been put up and corresponds in size, charm and decoration to the rest of the Palazzo, and I can say that I am very pleased with the work on the statues, and [my opinion] is confirmed by the praise for it received from everyone in Rome, for the whole city is rushing to see it."
As a result the Ambassador left Rome with a peaceful and tranquil place that creates a true oasis for tourists and Romans alike!
