The Porta Furba Fountain is located outside the center of Rome and is a sort of showpiece fountain in front of the Acqua Felice Aqueduct. The actual name of the fountain is Clemens XII Fountain.
Porta Furba Fountain Rome
Useful information
The Fontana di Clemente XII a Porta Furba is located right next to the city gate Porta Furba on the Via Tuscolana. Metro: Porta Furba. Neighborhood: Tuscolano. The fountain can be visited free of charge at any time of the day.
History and description
The Porta Furba Fountain is immediately adjacent to the city gate of the same name. It was built simultaneously with the construction of the Acqua Felice Aqueduct.
The fountain is made of travertine marble. It consists of a mask from which water falls into a shell. From the shell, the water falls back into a large tub located five steps above street level.
In 1733 the fountain was restored and enlarged. The executor of this work was (probably) the originally Dutch architect Luigi Vanvitelli. This restoration was commissioned by Pope Clement XII, which immediately explains its official name.
The fountain is embellished with two different coats of arms. The first one belongs to the family of Pope Clement, the second one to one Felice Passerini, the man in charge of the Roman water supply at the time.
The original version of the fountain was commissioned by Pope Sixtus V and was actually more of a watering hole.
In 1897, the fountain was restored again, this time by the city of Rome itself. Just under a century later, another restoration was again necessary.