The Fontana dell’Acqua Acetosa is located in the Piazzale dell’Acqua Acetosa, to the east of the Villa Ada park in Rome. People used to think that the water from this fountain had healing powers.
Acqua Acetosa Fountain Rome
History and description
The fountain as it can be seen today was constructed in the middle of the 17th century by Pope Alessandro VII Chigi and replaced another, less spectacular one that had been built by Pope Paolo V. Borghese in 1613.
The spot was chosen near a spring that provided water that was “healthy for kidneys, stomach, liver, spleen and numerous other illnesses.”
The water-lily fountain was designed by the painter Andrea Sacchi together with Marcantonio de Rossi, although for a long time people were under the impression that it had been done by Bernini. Its design resembles that of a nymphaeum.
At the end of the 50’s the Acqua Acetosa fountain was abandoned, partly because the water turned out to be less wholesome than promised. It has now been restored, but the “healthy” water has been substituted by normal drinking water.