Fontana dei Dioscuri - Rome, Italy - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Recycling is nothing new and it’s amazing how much stone, artwork etc. from ancient Rome has been incorporated into modern structures: well, maybe they’re not so modern anymore but compared to Imperial Rome… This monument, which stands in the Piazza del Quirinale on the highest hill in Rome next to the presidential palace is a good example. The original fountain dates from the late sixteenth century and included the ancient statues. This was moved in the late eighteenth century and redesigned to include the ancient obelisk. It wasn’t until the early nineteenth century that the fountain was reworked incorporating the ancient basin.

The two colossal statues were taken from the 4th-century Baths of Constantine but are believed to date from the 3rd century where they stood before the Temple of Serapis. Down through the years there has been uncertainty as to who they represent but nowadays, they are generally accepted as the Castor and Pollux of Greek mythology who are sometimes referred to as the Dioscuri. The obelisk was one of the two that once stood in front of the Mausoleum of Augustus. Though brought to Rome from Egypt, it is unknown whether they are of Egyptian origin or Roman copies. They were excavated in the sixteenth century from an area near the Tiber River. The basin also dates to ancient Rome where it was once the bowl of a fountain in front of the Curia Julia in the Roman Forum. It was being used as a cattle trough in the Middle Ages.

The stamp was issued in 1959 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Lateran Pacts which established the Vatican as a sovereign state and finally resolved the so-called ‘Roman question’ regarding the temporal power of the popes in the Kingdom of Italy. It shows the bell tower of the Senatorial Palace representing the city of Rome, the dome of St. Peter’s representing the Vatican and this monument representing, I suppose, all of Italy or specifically the Quirinal which was once the summer residence of the popes but became the palace of the king after the Kingdom of Italy was established and is currently one of Italy’s presidential residences.

Stamp Issuing Country: Italy Date of Issue: 11-Feb-1959 Denomination: 25 l Color: ultramarine Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for this category, you must visit the actual site of the waymark. Post at least one photo that you personally took of the site if at all possible. If you cannot provide a photo for some reason, your visit will still be welcome.

You do NOT need to be a stamp collector to visit the waymark site, nor do you have to provide a photo of the stamp. Just having a copy of the stamp in question, however, is not sufficient; you must personally visit the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.