Fontana della Botticella, Rome, Italy
Posted by: 
sherpes
N 41° 54.312 E 012° 28.560
33T E 290650 N 4642331
Fountain against a wall, with a wine porter and barrel, dating to 1774
Waymark Code: WMACY4
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 12/28/2010
Views: 12
In 1570, to celebrate the installment of the aqueduct of Aqua Virgu (italian: acqua Vergine), it was planned to have 18 fountaains spread around the city, one of which was to be placed near the church of San Rocco.
It was only in 1774, when a nearby hospital got remodeled, that the planned fountain was finally built.
Because of the proximity of the urban port of Ripetta (italian: Porto di Ripetta), the lobby of taverns and pubs wanted the planned fountain to symbolize their trade, thus the wine barrel and porter (Porter because the port was full of porters, and barrel because that was the item most used when loading ships).
The porter is represented by the head of a young man, smiling, with a hat, slanted on one side, typical of porters of the time.
text above the fountain:
“BENEFICENTIA CLEMENTIS XIII PONT. MAX AQUA VIRGO ANN. MDCCLXXIIII"
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