Fontana della Galera, Baroque fountain in Vatican Gardens, Vatican City.
The Fontana della Galera is a Baroque work featuring a lead warship at its center with water jets. Cannons arranged around the vessel spray water, creating movement and visual interest across the entire installation.
A pope commissioned this fountain in the 1590s to celebrate the restoration of an ancient aqueduct. This restored water supply brought reliable running water to Vatican City for the first time.
The fountain shows how art and power blend together. Water shoots from cannons instead of real weapons firing, which represents the shift from warfare to beauty.
This fountain is only accessible through guided tours of the Vatican Gardens, which require advance booking. Visitors should wear comfortable walking shoes since the gardens involve extended walking over varying terrain.
This work contains a fully detailed model of an early 17th-century warship in miniature at its heart. This ship model makes it truly distinctive among the many fountains throughout the Vatican Gardens.
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