When the fountain was first built it only consisted of the lower level, which differed greatly then the lower level of today. The architect left a description of the fountain, as well as a painting and sketch. He had meant it to reflect the style of the ancient roman period, as was based on the last remaining fountain standing at the time at the mouth of the Aqua Julia. Pope Julius had his fountain constructed at the side of the public road of his private land. His vigna, which was what the land was referred to, was quite popular because he had spent much money into making it beautiful, including bring many artists in to create statuary, temples, and ponds.
Ammannati, the creator of the Fountain of Pope Julius, described the original fountain as, “The beginning of the road creates two facades, with a beautiful fountain, in which the water flows in happy memory of Pope Julius, who had never had any idea that water could be found in this place. Yet, having his villa built there, he spared no expense and had workmen dig deep and diligently from where his residence is today as far as the start of this road to do this good deed for the public. And seeing that his wishes had succeeded, he took pains to build the ornamental monument that stands there now, in the Corinthian style, with columns and pillars and, in the centre, a great stone twelve hand’s-breadths on each side and an inscription that reads: ‘Iulius III Pont. Max. publicae commoditati anno III’, with two niches holding two statues, Felicity and Abundance. Beneath the epitaph is a large and beautiful ancient head of Apollo from which a jet of water is thrown into a fine big granite basin; at the apex are four acroteria [statues or plinths on top of a monument]: on the one side there is the statue of Rome and on the other a statue of Minerva; the other two are granite obelisks, with a statue of Neptune in the centre. They are all antiquities and all most beautiful."
