Fontana del Moro, Renaissance fountain in Piazza Navona, Italy
The fountain features a central figure of an African standing on a pink marble base, wrestling with a dolphin surrounded by four tritons.
Giacomo della Porta designed the original fountain structure in 1575, while Gian Lorenzo Bernini added the central Moor statue in 1653.
The fountain represents the third water feature in Piazza Navona, completing a triangle with Fountain of Four Rivers and Neptune Fountain.
Visitors can access the fountain daily through public transportation, with multiple bus lines stopping near Piazza Navona in central Rome.
During a restoration in 1874, workers moved original statues to the Borghese Gallery and replaced them with precise replicas at the fountain site.
Location: Rome
Inception: 1575
Creator: Giovanni Antonio Mari
GPS coordinates: 41.89814,12.47315
Latest update: May 27, 2025 11:32
Italian historic fountains demonstrate five centuries of craftsmanship in sculpture, hydraulic engineering, and urban design. From the 15th to the 19th century, Italian artisans shaped marble, bronze, and stone to create works combining practicality and artistic expression. These fountains tell stories from classical mythology, such as Neptune and marine deities, or from the Bible, like Moses drawing water from the rock. They also celebrate the political power of great families and the identity of Italian cities. In Rome, the Trevi Fountain extends 86 feet (26 meters) high with baroque sculptures, while Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers symbolizes continents on Piazza Navona. In Florence, Neptune sits above the Piazza della Signoria, recalling the Medici family's maritime ambitions. The gardens of Villa d'Este in Tivoli feature 51 fountains spread across multiple terraces, showcasing Renaissance hydraulic mastery. These works reveal how water has shaped Italy’s architecture and urban life, from papal Rome to squares in Palermo and Siena.
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