Today will be almost all walking... seeing the streets of Rome, and two of its famous fountains: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (The Fountain of Four Rivers) and Fontana di Trevi, of “Three Coins in the Fountain” fame, a romantic film produced in 1954, with a hit recording by The Four Aces.
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is in the Piazza Navona, a spacious plaza with the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone on the western side of the Piazza. One wanders along a narrow street, and suddenly this huge piazza appears! It’s about 800 feet long, and 175 feet wide. There are three fountains in the Piazza, with Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the center being the largest. When we arrived, the Piazza was getting quite crowded. Lots of tourists and tour groups; and vendors all over the place selling things that have little relevance, like caricatures of celebrities shown by artists who allegedly drew them. The problem is that we see these same caricatures in all the piazzas. How can one artist be in a half dozen places at once?
There are some excellent artists, as well as musicians performing in the Piazza. I remember one particular jazz quintet with its amplified instruments, doing jazzy versions of popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s. About 75 feet away was a woman with a Celtic harp. One had to be almost next to her in order to hear her music over the jazz group.
The Fontana di Trevi is remembered in America because of “Three Coins in the Fountain”, a romantic film produced in 1954, with a hit recording by The Four Aces:
Three coins in the fountain,
Each one seeking happiness,
Thrown by three hopeful lovers.
Which on will the fountain bless?
Three hopeful lovers? Try about 2,000 hopeful lovers! Fontana di Trevi draws that many people day and night, with maybe hundreds trying the coin tosses over their shoulders. I'm sure the coins are removed at least once a week, otherwise the fountain would pour into the streets, with all those coins forming a mountain that buries the sculptures.
We took a lunch break, then went to the Pantheon - the temple built to honor all Roman gods, in case any had been left out. It has long been taken over by the Roman Catholic Church, which turned the interior of the Pantheon into its own church. Fascinating statues surround the inside; but the lectern is... uh... special. My impression was that it was sculpted by a major benefactor. Kind of ugly. But they had to install it.
Onward to the Spanish Steps. Nice hike, nothing too strenuous.
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is in the Piazza Navona, a spacious plaza with the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone on the western side of the Piazza. One wanders along a narrow street, and suddenly this huge piazza appears! It’s about 800 feet long, and 175 feet wide. There are three fountains in the Piazza, with Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the center being the largest. When we arrived, the Piazza was getting quite crowded. Lots of tourists and tour groups; and vendors all over the place selling things that have little relevance, like caricatures of celebrities shown by artists who allegedly drew them. The problem is that we see these same caricatures in all the piazzas. How can one artist be in a half dozen places at once?
Three hopeful lovers? Try about 2,000 hopeful lovers! Fontana di Trevi draws that many people day and night, with maybe hundreds trying the coin tosses over their shoulders. I'm sure the coins are removed at least once a week, otherwise the fountain would pour into the streets, with all those coins forming a mountain that buries the sculptures.
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