If you love history, art, and the play of sunlight on water, make it a point to see some of Rome’s magnificent fountains when you visit. The dusty stone streets, some of them still bearing the imprint of wagon wheels, wind through the city, flanking tightly packed buildings of brick, stone, and stucco. They range from various periods, all of them old, and bear the loving attention to aesthetic detail lost in modern architecture.
As you pass them, they almost whisper, “I have such stories to tell.” Yet it’s the city’s more than 2000 fountains that bring it life, from the fifty grand flowing monuments to the small drinking fountains babbling out of the walls of buildings - sometimes hiding down ancient alleys like secret treasures.
Immerse yourself in beauty and history

Perhaps the most famous of Rome’s fountains

The Four Rivers Converge in the Piazza Navona

The complex work is crowned by an ancient Egyptian obelisk, and numerous carvings of animals and emblems can leave you staring for quite some time, lest you miss something. But more importantly, it’s gorgeous. The figures seem alive; they’re all carved in motion, muscles tensed in sync with the implied action; the expressions of each god and beast are focused intently on what they’re doing.
Enjoy the variety of as many fountains as you can

The Marforio - or anciently, Mare en Foro (The Sea in the Forum) - is another must-see fountain of Rome, depicting Oceanus and dating from the 1st century CE. Visitors will recognize his noble, almost nurturing face and his lounging, barely-covered godly physique from numerous photos of him in film and print. The Turtle Fountain (Fontane delle Tartarughe) features four tortoises balanced precariously at the top, and radiates a mild sense of whimsy. For a more erotic vibe, the Fountain of the Naiads adorns the Piazza della Repubblica; here, four very naked nymphs pose alluringly amidst a playful spray of water.
Get adventurous and meander a little

Rome's Pride
Rome’s water features are an integral part of its vitality and history. They are also important to the city’s pull on tourists. Getting to them is easy if you’re accustomed to walking, but wear comfortable shoes because there are so many wonderful things to see that you may find yourself trekking around all day. Whatever you do, make sure you take the time to sit still for a moment or two by some laughing water, as it bursts from old rock out into the light. Watch the people go by, and the pigeons that are equally attracted to the fountain’s cool overspray and the scraps they can get from snacking tourists. This is Rome.
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