The Beginnings of Modern Outdoor Water Fountains

As the leader of the Catholic Church, the scholarly Pope Nicholas V (1397-1455} decided to authorize translations of invaluable books from their original Greek into Latin. In addition, beautifying the city and making it the true capital of the Christian world was at the heart of his ambitions. Beginning in 1453, he called for the restoration of the Acqua Vergine, a wrecked Roman aqueduct which had transported fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away. In addition, the ancient Roman custom of marking the arrival point of an aqueduct with an imposing celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space formerly filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect employed by him. The adjustments, product lawn as well as the extensions included in the repaired aqueduct, eventually made it possible to supply the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water to function.