Fontana di Piazza Colonna, Renaissance fountain in central Piazza Colonna, Rome, Italy

Fontana di Piazza Colonna is an oval basin of pale pink marble from the Greek island of Chios, its curved body divided into panels by scroll-shaped brackets. Sixteen carved lion heads project below the wide rim, four of them along the near side. In the shallow pool, a white marble vasque rises in the centre, with a shell-shaped spout at one end and a sculpted sea creature with a shell at the other.

The fountain was built between 1575 and 1577 under Pope Gregory XIII by architect Giacomo Della Porta and sculptor Rocco Rossi. Its creation happened during a period when Rome was upgrading and refining its water systems.

The square and fountain take their name from the Column of Marcus Aurelius a few metres away. The original Della Porta plan would have set the fountain against the column's base, with the antique statue Marforio as its backdrop, but Pope Gregory XIII rejected the idea. The four beast heads on the rim are Della Porta's own carving design.

You can get free drinking water directly from this fountain while walking around the central area of Rome. The location is surrounded by cafes, shops, and historical buildings, making it easy to stop by.

This fountain's water flows through an underground network that connects to Trevi Fountain. Along its path, the water passes through two collection basins near San Sebastiancello before reaching this spot.