Thursday July 12

Our first stop today takes us to see the Tempietto.  The Tempietto is a wonderful temple designed by Bramante in 1502.  The Tempietto is located in the courtyard of the Spanish academy and was commissioned by King Ferdinand. It’s design shows a perfect unity of the circular temple set within the square shape of the courtyard. Bramante studied the proportions and principles of Vitruvius and had a deep understanding of the architecture of antiquity.

The Tempietto is a small temple, holding only about 10 people. It is at the site of St. Peter’s martyrdom. The chapel has a hemispherical dome and 16 Doric columns. The circular design signifies divine perfection, the square and circle considered to be fundamental truths.

Next on our list is the Trevi fountain. I have been researching the fountain, as it is where I will make a presentation. Trevi is named for the intersection of three streets, trivium. The architect was Nicola Salvi, a 35 year old who won the commission by winning a competition held by Pope Clement XII Corsini.  The baroque style fountain took over 30 years to complete, and was started in 1732.

This is the fountain of popular culture. 3 to 4 thousand euros per day are thrown into this fountain, and the proceeds collected each day go to fund projects for the needy. Several popular movies featured this fountain including “Three Coins in a Fountain” and “Roman Holiday.” More than 20 million gallons of water move through the fountain each day. The aqueduct built by Marcus Agrippa in 19 BC carried the original water supply to the fountain. 

The fountain features Oceanus, the God of water, riding a shell chariot flanked by winged seahorses called hippocampus, and tritons. The positioning of the horses, along with the flowing water gives the fountain a sense of movement and energy.  Other sculptures featured in the fountain are the allegorical figures of Health and Fertility, both used to express the benefits of water. The bas-relief carvings depict the story of the maiden that led Agrippa army to the water source, and Agrippa accepting the plans for the aqueduct. The attic figures represent the four seasons, and again the benefits of water. The rockwork of the fountain, the scogli took over a decade to create, and represents over 30 types of flora. Salvi won the compatiton due to his design creating a perfect harmonious unity with the palace façade.

Our last stop of the day brings us to another fountain, The Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini. Built as a support to the obelisk moved by Innocent X from the Circus of Maxentius. The fountain features 4 allegorical figures representing the four most famous rivers from four continents, the Danube, the Rio della Plata, the Ganges and the Nile.