This playful, much-loved fountain features four boys gently hoisting tortoises up into a bowl of water. Created by Giacomo della Porta and Taddeo Landini in the late 16th century, it inherited the Bernini-designed tortoises after whom it's named in 1658, during a restoration.
The fountain is the subject of a popular local legend, according to which it was created in a single night. The story goes that the Duke of Mattei had it built to save his engagement and prove to his prospective father-in-law that despite gambling his fortune away, he was still a good catch. Amazingly, it worked and the impressed father allowed Mattei to marry his daughter.
In reality, the fountain was no overnight sensation and took three years to craft (1581–1584).
Overlooking the fountain is Piazza Mattei, whose owners, the Costaguti family, hid members of the Jewish community from the authorities during WW2.
