Page 6 - Italian-American Herald - July 2023

6 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JULY2023 HISTORY
1770-1780 and there is also The Fountain of the Dolphins, The Fountain of Aeolus, and The Fountain of Ceres. All of these are stunning works of art which can now be enjoyed by the public.
In Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman port city at the mouth of the Tiber River about fifteen miles outside of Rome, many of the fountains had a more utilitarian purpose for the citizens who lived in the city. After the construction of the city’s aqueduct in the 1st century A.D., Ostia was provided with a series of water fountains, distributed among both public areas and the communal spaces of buildings. Of course, more ornate fountains were built for the wealthy at their villas.
In nearby Tivoli, the gardens of Villa D’Este are famous for the 51 fountains and nymphaea. These were ancient Greek and Roman sanctuaries honoring water nymphs which were normally found in grottos. The water in the gardens emerges from 398 spouts and 364 water jets. There are 64 waterfalls of various dimensions, and all
of the water features are supplied through 2,780 feet of canals, channels, and cascades. Amazingly, all of these function solely by the force of gravity without pumps.
Other cities across Italy boast of their own famous fountains. The Fountain of
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Neptune in Bologna is a favorite meeting point for residents and was erected between 1564 and 1566, when Pope Pius IV decided to provide the populace with a public fountain. Inscriptions describe its purpose as decorating the square, for the use of the population, created with public money and its date of construction.
Other well-known fountains are the Fountain of Neptune in Florence, The Fountain of the Elephant in Catania, Sicily (a symbol of the city), and the Fountain of Arecusa in Siracusa, Sicily. All were designed and created with symbolism relevant to the time and history of the cities where they were built.
The vast network needed to supply water to cities and towns for both public use and architectural beauty could not have fully existed without the creation of the Roman Aqueducts. The aqueducts built by the Romans were, and in some cases still are, an essential part of the infrastructure, providing water
for drinking, for public baths and for both private and public fountains. They improved public sanitation and provided fresh water for citizens of the Roman Empire. Some are still in use today, not only in Italy but also France, Spain, Portugal, Israel, and Turkey.
Aqueduct builders created a vast network
Fountain of the Elephant in Catania, Sicily. | ADOBESTOCK.COM
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of pipes, channels, and bridges to bring water to Rome, creating in the process an enduring symbol of Roman civilization and innovation. Many of them are still visible today but not all of them were built above ground. Some were built underground as the engineers recognized there was less chance of contamination or evaporation of the water.
The fountains throughout the country
today continue to provide a community meeting point, a place to cool off in the summer heat and also a way to look back into the marvels of Roman engineering and Italian artistic expression. These works of
art still provoke a sense of wonder for those who see them for the first time and a sense of pride for Italians for the achievements of great Italian artists and engineers. IAH
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