Piazza Trilussa is a square in the Trastevere district in Rome. The piazza lies close to the banks of the river Tiber, across from the Ponte Sisto bridge.
Piazza Trilussa Rome
History and description
Piazza Trilussa is especially famous because of the beautiful fountain designed by the architects Giovanni Fontana and Van Santen (or Vasanzio) and commissioned by Pope Paolo V Borghese.
The fountain is fed by the Aqua Paola Aqueduct, the new name after the Pope had had the ancient Acquedotto Traiano restored. This happened when this aqueduct was extended with the aim of getting water to the rioni Regola and Ponte, instead of just to Trastevere and Borgo.
Initially, until 1898, the fountain was located across the river, at the end of the Via Giulia, behind the Ospizio dei Mendicanti that had been constructed by order of Sixtus V.
The fountain is made of a wall of travertine marble. The arch was made in 1613 and is closed by two pillars adorned with dragons, the dragon being the symbol of the Borghese family.
Trilussa
The fountain is flanked by the memorial monument for the Roman poet Trilussa (1871-1950), who was known for writing only in the Roman vernacular. Although Trilussa‘s real name was Carlo Alberto Silustri the fountain was named for his pseudonym.
The monument, made by Lorenzo Ferri, was dedicated in 1954. In the poem “In the Shadow”, which is cited on the monument the protagonist starts off by insulting a number of animals and finishes with the words: “Those beasts may not understand me, but in this way I have the satisfaction of saying things the way they are without the risk of being thrown into jail”.