Water: The Key to Life

Lately I have been observing and reflecting about the Roman water found in fountains and depicted in pictures and statues. As I walked through the huge morning market in Campo de’ Fiori the other morning though, I began to look at water in a completely different light. Water is the reason that the market was even possible in the first place. All of the fruit and vegetables for sale – the apples, grapes, cherries, carrots, lettuce, zucchini, oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, watermelon – are all dependent on good old H₂O. Not only that, the human body is made up of about 75% water by volume and without it for a prolonged period of time, we would surely die. Thankfully, this vital substance is available on pretty much any corner of the city. The public drinking fountains are so essential, especially in the summer, and I wish more cities provided these heavenly havens. Just when you think it cannot get much hotter, a drink from the ice cold spiket refreshes the body at least for the time being. Water literally surrounds us here in the Eternal City. Stop and take notice of all the different places it can be seen and also of every different place that it has an influence on. Without it, many beautiful pieces of artwork would not exist, not to mention we simply could not survive in its absence.

Fonte Acqua Paola

On our way back to Trastevere from the Botanical Gardens the other day, we decided to get a better view of the city by climbing up Via Garibaldi. This is a long, steep road which leads to the enormous Fonte Acqua Paola, a fountain which contains three rapid spouts each spewing water as if a dam has just burst behind the entire structure. The aqueduct which feeds this fountain is called the Aqua Traiana (renamed the Acqua Paola later on). It was built in the 1^st century by Trajan.

The fountain used to be called “Il Fontanone”, or the big fountain, and was in the form of a triumphal arch made of white marble. Most of the material came from the Forum of Nerva. It also contains the Borghese coat of arms along with their eagle and dragon.

In 1690, Pope Alexander VIII commissioned Carlo Fontana to remodel the fountain. Fontana then created an enormous single basin which is what we saw last week. A small garden is hidden behind the structure and only a small portion can be seen from the front. The giant fountain is well worth the walk, especially when you turn around and experience the aerial view of the Eternal City spread out before you. Don’t forget your camera!

Information obtained from:

http://www.thais.it/citta_italiane/roma/fontane/piazze/Gianicolo/pag1.htm

LAOCOÖN

Many stories and texts of old refer to Pliny the Elder’s intricate, marble sculpture depicting Laocoon, a Trojan priest, and his sons being attacked and killed by sea serpents sent by Poseidon, god of the sea. Laocoon was being punished by Poseidon for having intercourse with his wife on sacred ground. Laocoon was also responsible for warning the Trojans not to trust the sly Greeks who were renowned for their ability to deceive their enemies. The Greeks had created an enormous horse, which later became known as the Trojan horse. It held Greek soldiers who later ran out of the horse and surprised the Trojan army. The Greeks went on to win the war.

In addition, this sculpture has inspired many famous artists. Michelangelo was actually one of the first men called to help excavate the site when the statue was accidently discovered by a farmer on January 14, 1506. He became inspired by Pliny’s ability to portray the pain that the three men were experiencing.

On the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo created many figures which resembled the contorted bodies of Laocoon and his sons. By placing them in “serpentinata” positions he was able to imitate Pliny’s famous work of art which once stood in the Emperor Titus’s palace. The sculpture and Chapel can both be found in the Vatican museums located in Rome. I highly suggest checking them out and make sure you have at least half a day to do so!

Information taken from: http://www.idcrome.org/laocoon.htm

Picture taken from: http://www.giotto.org/sb/ignudo.jpg

Four Facing Fountains

On my way back from Santa Maria della Vittoria church, I had to stop and drink from one of the four fountain statues located on the four corners of the intersection of Via XX Settembre and Via delle Quattro Fontane. The fountains represent two rivers, the Arno and Tiber, and two godly creatures, the goddess Diana and the god Juno. I am drinking from the Arno River (male laying with a tree) fountain which is actually built into one of the front walls belonging to San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane church. This church was designed by Francesco Borromini in 1634 and contains an appealing spiral staircase which leads down to the basement crypt. Borromini wanted to be buried here, but instead committed suicide and was buried in San Giovanni dei Fiorentini instead.

Some information taken from the Blue Guide, Rome (9^th Edition) by Somerset Norton.

DO Drink the Water!

As I fill up my water bottle from the random public drinking fountains found all over the city, I often wonder just how clean this aqua actually is. I mean, some of the fountains look filthy, are written on, or have chewing gum on them. So is it really safe to drink the water? After doing some research on this topic, I have observed that many people share my inquiry.

According to an Italian newspaper, La Republica, Roman water is the cleanest and safest in all of Italy! It has also been tested multiple times for contaminants and each test has returned negative. In fact, the watering flowing from the fountains contains a high level of calcium which increases bone density, aids in neurotransmitter release (vital for brain functioning), and is essential for muscle contraction! Without calcium, the human body could not function. So grab those water bottles and fill up on some ancient Rome water – not only is it cold and refreshing, but it also does the body good! Cin Cin!

P.S. Be aware that some of the fountains are marked by a sign which reads, “Aqua non-potabile”. Do NOT drink from these fountains!

Some information obtained at:

http://www.colorshotel.com/rome-guide/food-and-drink-in-rome/

Water Distributed According to Class Rank

In ancient Rome, only the very wealthy were able to have water piped directly into their homes. The lower classes had to rely on public fountain water for drinking, bathing, cleaning, or preparing food. The upper class could afford to have pipes, similar to those which brought water to the public fountains, carry water from the aqueducts directly to their homes. They also built a pool in their domus (house) called an impluvium which collected rain water and sent it down into a cistern. Although the rain water was not used for drinking or preparing food, it was used for household tasks such as cleaning clothes.

The lower (and sometimes middle) class had to rely solely on the public water fountains for their daily water needs. That meant that they would have to walk to a fountain, fill up huge buckets of water, and return home. Obviously, this was not the most convenient or ideal situation, yet they had no other choice unless they chose to hire an Aquarius. This laborer would actually deliver the water from the fountains to the family who paid him.

According to http://www.aquarius.arollo.com/mythology-history, Aquarius was the god of water who showered the earth with water when necessary. Pictures of this god were found on some stones dating back to the ancient Babylonian Empire.

Picture taken from:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12254/12254-h/images/illus017.jpg
(modified by CB)

Talking Fountains make the Pope’s Ears Ring

You heard right – these fountains did not think very highly of the papacy back around the 15^th century, when the pope was not only the religious ruler but also gained the authority of king. Whenever the citizens of Rome disagreed with this pope-king’s decision, which was quite often, they would voice their opinions on sheets of paper. The opinions were then attached to various statues throughout the city; hence the name “talking statues”. Sometimes the opinions were expressed through poetry, and most times the authors were people who were close to the pope and who actually knew the truth.

The first and one of the most famous talking statues, Pasquino, sits near the Piazza Navona in the Piazza di Pasquino. It was used for political and religious reasons, and not surprisingly, it is still used for these purposes in 2008. It is pretty common to catch a note full of gossip or a poem attached to the statue. When Pope Adrianus VI tried to monitor what was placed on Pasquino, more and more talking statues began popping up all over Rome and his problem actually became worse. The “second Pasquino” (as seen above) was a statue of a river-god at the bottom of Capitol Hill. Formally, it was known as Marforio and it frequently held “conversations” with Pasquino. I remember looking at this massive fountain the other day whe

n we visited the Capitol museums as a class, and I had no idea that it was one of the talking statues. It is said to be held inside the Palazzo Nuovo di Campidoglio for preservation purposes, but many believe that it is held there against its will under the close watch of the government. One thing is for sure though, an ancient tradition carried out centuries ago is still being performed in today's world.

Some of this information was taken from:

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/miscellanea/museums/marforio.html

You Can Thank the Volcanoes for Quenching your Thirst

One does not usually mention volcanoes in the same sentence as Rome, yet after learning more about the water system in the Eternal City, you may just hear me use them together. This is because volcanoes line the edge of the Italian Peninsula (from southern Naples up past northern Tuscany). When active (3,500 years ago), the volcanoes produced plateaus and large craters which became lakes after years of rainfall. These lakes then acted as reservoirs for Roman water supply. The largest one, Lake Bracciano, provides fresh and clean water to numerous aqueducts which then flow through hundreds of fountains throughout the city. So the next time you stop to take a refreshing swig from a drinking fountain on the sidewalk, thank the volcanoes for blowing their top!

The picture above shows the different locations of some of the volcanoes found in Italy. See http://www.crystalinks.com/romevolcanoes.html for more information (also the source of the picture).

Fontanella del Facchino

The Fontanella del Facchino does not look like a big deal. In fact, to many bystanders passing by the wall of the Banca di Roma, it merely looks like an ordinary fountain with an eroding man holding a barrel dispensing drinking water. Albeit, the appearance is not provocative, the story behind the fountain is. It was erected around 1590 and depicts a porter which may have been based on a painting by Jacopino del Conte. It is not known who exactly the man is, but it is probably a member of the Fraternity of Water-Carriers (Universita degli Acquaroli). Water carriers quite literally would balance two barrels of water by their sides supported by a wooden beam along their necks. In quite a literal sense then, these carriers are still hard at work even today, providing Romans with clean, refreshing drinking water. I can personally appreciate these drinking fountains since the aforementioned Fontanella del Facchino sits about ten strides from my school, the Sede di Roma.

It is also one of many “talking statues” found throughout the city. They do not actually speak aloud, but rather through the use of paper posted onto the statue which expresses the views of whoever authored the piece. Some more of these “talking statues” will be covered later in the blog so stay tuned!

This page provided the picture of the water carrier: http://74.125.39.104/search?q=cache:9B5TBz811fEJ:www.thebookofdays.com/months/sept/29.htm+fraternity+of+water+carriers&hl=it&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=it

Roman Aqueducts - An Overview

It is hard to believe that some of the water in Rome today is still provided by the ancient Roman aqueducts. An aqueduct is a massive, stone structure in the form of many arches stacked on top of one another. It is typically elevated and acts as a channel for water to flow from a remote source to a populated city or industrial site. The aqueducts were built all over the Roman Empire ranging from Germany to as far south as Africa. In the actual city of Rome, there were eleven aqueducts which supplied more than 300 million gallons of water every day! A special thank you to this page, http://www.inforoma.it/feature.php?lookup=aqueduct, where I found most of this information.