Talking statues & Fountains, Rome

Somewhere within the warren of restaurants and shops near Piazza Navona is a marble statue worn by time and the elements. And he talks - he is Pasquino, Rome's "talking statue." Pasquino was named after the 16th century (yes, the statue is that old!) cobbler who lived next door. Pasquino the cobbler was the modern day equivalent of a political junkie, writing satirical comments about events of his time. Probably afraid to be persecuted for his views, he posted these comments on the dead of the night on the statue. Thus, the "talking statue" monicker.

Today, the statue seems to be an outlet for not-so-bad fashion sense as the photo shows.

Piazza Mattei, named after an important family of the Middle Ages, hosts the Tortoise Fountain. One of the most beautiful fountains in Rome, it was designed by Giacomo Della Porta at the end of the 16th century. The tortoises were added in 1658 by Bernini.

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Remember the "B's" of the Baroque: Bernini, Borromini, and their patron, Barberini (aka Pope Urban VIII). You can find evidence of this trio all over Rome, but the three bees on the Barberini coat of arms are the tipoff. You can find them everywhere from the Vatican to Trastevere to the Quirinal, but make sure to visit Piazza Barberini at the foot of Via Veneto.

Here you will find Fontana de Tritone (the Triton fountain). If you ever forget who designed the fountain, look at the photo! The coat of arms with the bees is at the base of the fountain. Also if you look at the northeast corner of the piazza, you will find my favorite fountain in Rome, Fontana delle Api (Fountain of the Bees). For some reason this fountain just says "Rome" to me.

If you are ambitious, walk up Via delle Quattro Fontana and look into Palazzo Barberini, which you will probably recognize from "Roman Holiday." Continue to the four fountains at the top of the hill and visit Borromini's masterpiece, the tiny San Carlo alle Quattro Fontana, one of the most exquisite churches in Rome. Borromini made the dome glow with light and the dove of the Holy Spirit appears to float in mid air.

You can do all of this in under an hour- it's a short walk from the Barberini metro stop... Ever wonder why they called it that? Now you know.

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I happened upon this Rome site as I strolled in the Rome neighborhood where once lived. Nestled off Via Labicana just up the hill from the Colosseum on Via Pietro Verri (to your left walking up from the Colosseum), you will find the Piazza Isidre courtyard, steps, ruins and fountain with a detailed descriptive plaque. If you turn left from Via Labicana onto Via Pietro Verri it is right there - no walking, no searching. Many people walk up Labicana from the Colosseum to Via Merulana as two great basilicas are there - Santa Maria Maggiore at one end and San Giovanni at the other. The head and form of the statue Isidre is on display in the Capitolini Museum. There is also a charming restaurant right there at the Piazza - the Temple Isidre cafe. This Piazza was deserted on Saturday around noon, even though tourists were making their way up and down Via Labicana.
Legend of Iside - She was the spouse and sister of Osiride - they reigned in Egypt until Osiride was murdered by his brother. Iside searched for the coffin of Osiride which had been cast into the Nile. When she recovered the coffin, the culprit tore the body into 14 pieces and cast it into the sea. Iside's search of the sea recovered all the pieces of Osiride's body except one. She restored the life partially and Osiride continued to reign in the afterlife.

The mutilated marble bust of a colossal statue of a priestess of Isis near Chiesa di S. Marco became known as Madama Lucrezia and it provided a female character to the little choir of talking statues, which was called il Congresso degli Arguti - the Shrewd Congress.

The most famous pasquinade is no doubt:
Quod non fecerunt Barbari
fecerunt Barberini.
What the Barbarians did not do (meaning to Rome)
the Barberini did.

The target of the pasquinade was Urbanus VIII Barberini (1623-44) who had used the bronze tiles of the Pantheon for the Canopy of St Peter's.

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I've been wanting to photograph these four fountains for over a year and they were so dirty you couldn't see any detail. Well, it was worth the wait - here they are, clean and leisurely lounging at one of Rome's busiest intersections. You could really become a statistic trying to photography these guys from the street!

I pass them often as I walk from the top of Piazza Spagna at Trinia dei Monti to Santa Maria Maggiore and am just delighted today (August 27, 2006) to see them looking so spiffy - they even all look so much more pleased with themselves.

These Four Fountains represent the rivers Arno and Tiber and the Goddesses Juno and Diana:
Photo 1. River ARNO
Photo 2. Goddess JUNO
Photo 3. River TIBER
Photo 4. Goddess DIANA

Arno graces the complex facade of Borromini's Church San Carlo - dubbed San Carlino since they say the entire church is no larger than a pillar in Saint Peter's. The upper part was built after Borromini had already died.

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This Fontanone del Gianicolo (Janiculum Fountain) was also known as the Fountain of acqua Paola with water from Lake Bracciano flowing through. It was commissioned by Pope Paolo V Borghese (1605-1621) to Giovanni Fontana and Flaminio Ponzio and completed by Carlo Fontana. With an enormous white marble basin, it boasts three wide niches along with two minor ones alongside. Part of the large inscription over the niches says that the pipes of the Alseitana were restored, when in fact, they were from Triana. The columns came from the old St. Peter's Basilica. The papal coat of arms and the figures beside it are the work of Ippolito Buzio. In 1690 Pope Alessandro VIII Ottoboni (1689-91) replaced the five shells at the base of the hydrants with the magnificent, large basin. He opened the space facing the botanical gardens behind with its central arch, thereby constructing the square from which one can view the extraordinary panorama of Rome.

This square is home to La Terrrazza restaurant - currently hosting the Heidsieck Champagne promotion until September 10, 2006 - and also a small theater for summer performing arts.

Location: Via Garibaldi going up the hill to Giancolo
Bus: #15 from Stazioni Giancolo takes you there

Via del Babbuino (Baboon) is named after an old statue of a silenus, which was referred to in derogatory terms as il Babbuino. Its location in the Strangers' Quarter of Rome made it a good alternative site for posting pasquinades without the high risk of being caught. Il Babbuino was also used by the large community of foreigners living in the area for lampooning members of the community.