Travel-blogs about Italy are almost as plentiful as the roads which lead to its capital city. Nonetheless, I will attempt to cobble together an interesting and original road for you to stroll down...

On my recent family holiday to Italy the Fam and I spent a day in Rome, absorbing the historic atmosphere and, as it turned out, all the rain that Jupiter could fling down upon us. As I've just mentioned, Rome is a well-documented city, so I'm not about to bore you with the usual tales of Gladiators, Colosseums, and the Emperors who conquered the world. Instead, I have decided to concentrate my story on the thing which really caught my imagination, something which left me with more questions than answers.

The Awesome Fountains of Rome

Before Christianity took over the consciousness of Roman people, their world was created(and sometimes destroyed) by Gods and Monsters. To name just a few, there was Jupiter, king of all gods and ruler of the skies. Juno, wife (and sister) of Jupiter who was once the Queen of all deities and the protector of Rome. And Mars, the son of Jupiter and Juno, who became the father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome itself. It is no surprise then, that the monuments which have been created to honor these infinite and omnipotent beings are as out of this world as the subjects themselves.

Only when you see these magnificent carvings with your own eyes can you appreciate just how impossible they seem. After standing by the Trevi Fountain and studying its marvelously infinite details I was left with only one thought in my boggled mind..."There is no way this sculpture could have been created by anything other than a god".

Yes, I am aware the Trevi fountain was, in fact, created by mere mortals, Nicola Salvi and Giuseppe Pannini (along with several others), but my guess is that they were connected to the Goddess Minerva somehow.

Whether my theory is correct or not, the more Earthly story of how the Fontana di Trevi was created is still quite remarkable. Between unimpressed Popes and competition winners the origins of its creation is simply fascinating.

As always with works of art, the iconography hidden within the detail is what brings the whole thing to life...

Oceanus and the Tritons

pic source

In the center of the fountain is a statue of Oceanus, standing under a triumphal arch. His chariot is being pulled by two sea horses, one wild and one docile, representing the opposing moods of the sea. Two Tritons are leading the horses, the older Triton holding a twisted shell to announce their passage.

Abundance & Heath

pic source

Left of the arch is the statue of Abundance. She is holding a horn of plenty and at her feet lies a toppled vase. The relief above her illustrates Agrippa commanding his generals to build the aqueduct.
The statue of Health stands right of the arch. She is crowned with a wreath of laurel and holds a cup from which a snake drinks. The relief above her shows a Virgin lady indicating to soldiers the source of water.

Along with the origins story and the iconography there is, of course, a tradition to follow when you visit the fountain.

Facing away from the fountain, throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder. There…now I have guaranteed my return to Rome! Legend holds, that if you toss in a second coin you’ll fall in love with an Italian. Some even say that by throwing in three coins means you will marry an Italian (Something I have only just discovered while writing this blog, and being as I went with my Italian girlfriend I'm now wondering why she didn't ask me to throw in 3 coins!)

Fontana del Nettuno - (Fountain of Neptune)

As grandiose and impressive as the Trevi fountain is, it was the Fountain of Neptune that really set my imagination on fire. This amazing work of art is to be found at the south end of Piazza Nevona, Rome.

I honestly lost track of time while studying the various carvings set inside the basin. At first, my eyes were drawn to the figure at the center of this masterpiece.

A man who I presumed to be Neptune, appears to be dispensing some vengeful rage upon an octopus. I imagined I was looking at a moment of war frozen in time, a battle between creatures of the sea and their creators. I wondered what had enraged the gods so much to provoke such a fierce response. Maybe some kind of mutiny had taken place where the creatures of the sea had attempted to undermine or overthrow their rulers? But, then again, maybe I had got it all wrong and it was an unprovoked attack that was captured in this sculpture?

The reason I say this is due to the disturbing facial expression of the lady directly in front of Neptune, the lady who appears to be drowning a swan. It's hard to tell from the image but up close this lady is expressing a twisted menace, and she appears to be enjoying the task at hand. I was actually a little spooked out by her and it made me change my mind and think about the possibility that this was not an act of righteous vengeance at all. Maybe this sculpture had captured an ambush and these unsuspecting creatures were the victims of some psychopathic wrath, or a desire to destroy something precious that belonged to another.

I'm not one who gives much thought to "energies" and "auras", but this sculpture felt dark. It just had a feeling about it that sent a chill down my spine. Something bad was happening here and if the sculpture had intended to produce a sinister atmosphere he most certainly achieved it.

In fact, this beautifully violent work of art was created by 3 different artists. The basin was designed in 1574 by Giacomo Della Porta and stood without statues for over 300-years. The fountain we see today was finally completed in 1878 by Antonio della Bitta, who calved the imposing sculpture of Neptune fighting with an octopus, and Gregorio Zappalà, who created the other sculptures, based on the mythological theme of the "Nereids with Cupids and walruses".

I have yet to discover the iconography of the Fountain of Neptune but to be honest I'm not sure I want to. The way this sculpture ignited my imagination was a feeling I'll remember forever and when I return to Rome (Which is certain because I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain) I would like my imagination to reignite once more. By knowing the true iconography, it might just dampen the magic and I have to say that would be a shame because somethings really are better left to your own imagination...

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog today. Please feel free to visit the link below and check out the Hive account@pinmapple atlas for other great travel blogs from around the world!

All photos in this blog are my own unless stated otherwise.