The Monte Cavallo fountain, located in the piazza of the same name, was walked and visited by many popes, thus by visiting it, you be walking the same paths as the popes! This piazza is at the heart of Rome, and the fountains located in the area have been privy to the good and bad of the city over the years.
The fountain that is there now is a part of a grouping called a Dioscuri within the Piazza Monte Cavallo. It includes an obelisk and statuary. The water display of the fountain is worth the visit, as a single jet of water shoots into the skies between statues of horses heads, it is carried by any wind that may be present before falling back into the basin.
There were fountain that existed before the current fountain. The most famous was one commissioned by Pope Sixtus V. The fame comes from the designer, the well known Fontana. The statue designed by Fontana and the Pope was meant to stand right before the Pope’s palace in the piazza. The current fountain stands in the exact same spot. It is not clear why this fountain was removed. The removal however, was not a great loss, as it was certainly not one of Fontana’s best designs.
The fountain that came to rest in the piazza features a granite basin that was found in the ruins of the Roman forum. Raphael Stem, the designer of the fountain, placed the basin deep into the ground between the horse trainer figures, and placed a travertine receptacle in the center. The basin catches water as it falls sown, before it drops into the receptacle.
The Dioscuri statues are well known in Rome. This fountain, along with its background, plays an important role in the history of Rome, as its part have been re-used, and they have seen important events of roman history.
1897
Sculpted by Roland Hinton Perry: Court of Neptune Fountain located in the Library of Congress Main Building in Washington, DC.
1899
The oldest fountain located in Kansas City that is in operation: The Women’s Leadership Fountain previously known as the 9th Street Fountain.