Fontana delle Naiadi

Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo


Built in the late 19th century, this fountain was originally decorated with four lions; these were replaced by sculptor Mario Rutelli's bronze naiads (water nymphs) in the early 20th century. The nudity of the four naiads, who surround the central figure of Glaucus wrestling a fish, was considered highly provocative at the time. Each naiad reclines on a creature symbolising water in a different form: a water snake (rivers), a swan (lakes), a lizard (streams) and a seahorse (oceans).