Rome Sights

Fontana delle Tartarughe

#281 of 963 things to do in Rome

#8350 of 49054 things to do in Europe

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  • Address
    • Piazza Mattei
  • Transport
    • Via Arenula

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Lonely Planet review for Fontana delle Tartarughe

This playful 16th-century fountain depicts four boys gently hoisting tortoises up into a bowl of water. Apparently, Taddeo Landini created it in a single night in 1585 on behalf of the Duke of Mattei, who had gambled his fortune away and was on the verge of losing his fiancée. On seeing the fountain, Mattei’s father-in-law was so impressed that he relented and let Mattei marry his daughter. The tortoises were added by Bernini in 1658.

 

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