The Fountain of Moses La Fontana dell’Acqua Felice (1587)
Architect: Dominico Fontana
Our next stop is a grand fountain that ser ves as the mostra for an aqueduct completed in the late 16th century, and was unveiled with great fanfare and some embarrassment in 1587. To get there you must exit Piazza Repubblica onto via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando. Just make sure you’re leaving the side of the fountain featuring the Naiad of the Rivers. She’s the one reclining on her back, with her left arm raised to grasp the tail of her reptilian friend. You’ll see “Le Grand Hotel” ahead on the right. (It’s actually the St. Regis, but Cesar Ritz opened it in 1894 as the Grand Hotel.) After 200 yards or so, you’ll see the fountain on your right, with a row of lions spitting water into a pool. By the way, past the fountain and across via Venti Settembre is the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. Bernini alert! Inside is his sculpture – nowadays it would be called an installation – of Saint Teresa of Avila in Ecstasy as an angel pierces her heart with an arrow, while golden beams of light illuminate the scene and sculpted onlookers gaze from balconies. But first, the fountain: