Fountain of Neptune

The Fountain of Neptune occupies the northern end of Piazza Navona in Rome, opposite Bernini's famous Fountain of the Four Rivers. The plain marble basin was built in 1574 by Giacomo della Porta on commission from Pope Gregory XIII, fed by the restored Acqua Vergine aqueduct. For more than three centuries it stood without figures until 1873, when sculptors Antonio della Bitta and Gregorio Zappala added the central Neptune group and the Nereids to balance the southern Moor Fountain. The main scene shows Neptune spearing an octopus with his trident. Today it is one of the three water features framing Piazza Navona and a favourite gathering point for street performers and strollers.