A Roman Holiday: A Tour Of Rome Through Historical Fountains of Rome

I have been to Italy every year for the past 5 years and each time I have been, I can guarantee an Italian mattering the question “eh, you know eh the meaning of this, your name?”(in my best in Italian accent of course). Followed by me tilting my head puppy dog style with a nodd replying with “Si!”.

 

For some of you who know even the basics of Italian(or drink white wine?) will know that my name means white in Italian. So when they see a brown girl with this name few of them are somewhat puzzled. Just to balance things out my last name has several meanings one of which is the colour brown so I guess that balances things out. So with each of my visits I kind dance around between pretending not to know the meaning and to declaring that I am aware of the meaning then dusting out my GCSE Italian for little conversation when this question comes, which surprises locals even more(my Italian is not that great but it never fails to amuse).

I was looking through some of my pictures from my trip to Rome in May and noticed just how many fountains I had come across in Rome. Rome has some 280 fountains! Almost every piazza has a fountain. All really beautiful works of art and each with a story of its own. They are quite simply an attraction you cannot miss out on when in Rome.

 

The rich history and culture of Rome, both past and old can be told through the many fountains found around the city.  They were mainly used to convey and showcase the power and wealth of many Roman patrons with powerful influence and control over the city’s cultural heritage. The fountains also served as a way of bringing water into the city. To this day much of the fountain’s waters in Rome is drinkable with some  people considering the water to have some sort of restorative properties.
 

So next time you are in Rome, don’t just head for the typical spots like the Colosseum and Trevi but wonder around the streets and watch the drama unfold before you with these beautifully sculptured fountains that tell tales of noble families, papacy and the legacy of the city.  Seeing them requires very little effort as there are so many of them to see and what’s even nicer about this is that its FREE!!! 

Below are some of my favourites I came across whilst walking around Rome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting fact: The term “ghetto” originated from the name of the Jewish quarter in Venice, established in 1516, in which the Venetian authorities compelled the city’s Jews to live. Various officials, ranging from local municipal authorities to the Austrian Emperor Charles V, ordered the creation of ghettos for Jews in Frankfurt, Rome, Prague, and other cities in the 16th and 17th centuries.