- Fontana dei Dioscuri
The Fontana dei Dioscuri is the
fountain set opposite the Palazzo del Quirinale, the official residence of thePresident of the Italian Republic in thePiazza del Quirinale .The original fountain, which no longer exists, commissioned by
Pope Sixtus V in1588 , had the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux statues, from Constantine I of Rome's Baths, moved to the piazza, from the site, thought to have been near by, flanking it.In the late 1780s by Antinori, was commissioned by
Pope Pius VI, to make a better layout for the piazza and had the fountain and the Dioscuri moved, and included the largeObelisk which had been moved from theCampus Martius in the design.Some time between, that original fountain was lost, and, in
1818 a new one, which can be seen today, was commissioned byPope Pius VII and was designed byRaffaele Stern using an ancient granite Roman shell that had been found in the 1500's supported on top of a large basin. It was sited in front of the two statues with theobelisk between them.ee also
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Fountains in Rome References
* [http://www.thais.it/citta_italiane/roma/fontane/piazze/piazza_Quirinale/pag1.htm Thais:Roma-Fountains]
* [http://www.activitaly.it/infobase/it/show/1107 Active-Italy]
* [http://www.romasotterranea.it/ita/fontane/fontana25.php Roma Sotterranea]
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