Fontana dell'Acqua Paola

The Fontana Paola is a monumental baroque show-fountain on the Janiculum Hill above Trastevere in Rome. It was built in 1610-1612 under Pope Paul V Borghese, probably to designs by Flaminio Ponzio and Giovanni Fontana, celebrating the restoration of the ancient Aqua Traiana aqueduct as the Acqua Paola. Six Ionic columns, partly looted from old Saint Peter's, support an attic emblazoned with the Borghese dragons. Water tumbles from three large arched openings into a single basin added in 1690 by Carlo Fontana. The terrace in front offers one of the finest views over the domes and rooftops of Rome, beloved at sunset and immortalised in Sorrentino's film The Great Beauty.