A while back when I visited the Vatican I was immediately drawn to the fountains on either side of St. Peter's square. They were perfectly symmetrical to one another, and to the surrounding area of the square. The interesting thing about these two centerpieces is that, although they are exactly alike, they were built some 60 years apart and for two different Popes. As you enter the square, facing St. Peter's Basilica, the fountain on the right of the square was built first. It was constructed by Carlo Maderno for Pope Paul V (1605-1621). It was said that whenever "His Holiness walked in the direction of Paul V's great fountain his eyes continually turned toward it." To that end, Maderno's nephew Carlo Fontana constructed the fountain on the left side (south end) of the square to be an exact replica of the one on the north side. The water that feeds these two fountains comes from the Acqua Paola, which is found on the Juniculum hill right behind where my apartment is this summer in Rome. The height of the Juniculum hill and the distance from the hill to St. Peter's Square allows a large amount of pressure to be built up on the trip down the hill. This great pressure is what allows the central jets of the fountains to shoot up a magnificent sixty-four feet. As is the case with most Roman fountains (these two included), two water lines are used from each water source as to ensure a continual flow of water in the case of accident to one of the lines. For that reason, these fountains (and others all over Rome) have been flowing for very long periods of time, thanks to the amazing work of ancient Roman architecture.
All information in this Blog was found at this site: Fountains of Ancient Rome
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