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Fontana in piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere

Historic site · Trastevere, Italy

The fountain in the middle of the square in front of the basilica. Roma Capitale's summary line for it reads Autori: Carlo Fontana. Datazione: 1692, 1873.

History

Roma Capitale documents the fountain on Pietro il Massaio's plan of Rome of 1471. It records that the first restoration was willed by Giovanni di Valenza, cardinal of the title of Santa Maria in Trastevere, during the pontificate of Alexander VI Borgia (1492-1503); the second basin was abolished and wolf's-head spouts were added around the one that remained. It records a further intervention in 1604 by Girolamo Rainaldi (1570-1655), probably following the arrival of the Acqua Felice in Trastevere. Under Alexander VII Chigi the fountain was moved to the centre of the square and the work was entrusted to Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), who reworked the octagonal basin and added four double shells; Carlo Fontana transformed it again in 1692 for Innocent XII, enlarging the travertine basin and replacing Bernini's shells; and the Comune di Roma rebuilt it in 1873 to the 1692 model in grey bardiglio, adding a prominent S.P.Q.R. Roma Capitale records a restoration carried out in 2025 under the PNRR - Caput Mundi programme. it.wikipedia attributes the fountain to Donato Bramante; Roma Capitale's documented chain never mentions him and the same it.wikipedia article's infobox names Bernini, so that attribution is not used here.

Visit

Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Roma RM

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