The central place of Piazza Navona is occupied by the magnificent work of Bernini the fountain of four rivers.
Soon after the election, the new Pope Innocent X decided to rebuild and enlarge the surroundings of his new residence Palazzo Pamphilj.
The new fountain near the palace’s entrance received the water supplied by the ancient Roman aqueduct Aqua Virgo’ which brings water from the Salone Springs located about 20 km outside the old city.
The water source is covered by rock formation with lion and sea monster hidden in the small grottos. The rock is the base for the ancient obelisk moved from Maxentius Circus located near Via Appia. Visiin several places the dove and the olive branch are the Pope’s coats of arms.
Four giants around the fountain represent four giant rivers known in the past.
The rivers are the Ganges, the Danube, the Nile and the Rio de la Plata.
The head of the Nile is covered with the scarf , as the river’s source remained unveiled at that time.
Some suggest that the giant covers his head afraid of danger, similar in the position to river Plate which steps back pointing the nearby church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, in fear that the facade is going to collapse and destroy the fountain.
The Pope commissioned the work on the fasade of the church to the Bernini’s rival Borromini, so the sculptures gestures could support the theory of Bernini’s jealousy, but
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi has been already finished in 1651, several years before Borromini started his work on the church.
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