Fontana del Nettuno

The Fountain of Neptune, formerly Calderai Fountain, is located at the northern end of Navona Square. After the restoration of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, completed in 1570, work began on a secondary branching underground duct, in order to reach the area of the ancient Campus Martius, and were also designed a number of fountains. The project by Della Porta included a marble basin with a mixtilinear resting on two steps, confined by a fence. Bernini removed both and built a wider basin, able to contain the previous, with the same mixtilineal design. The Fountain took its current name after the addition, in 1873, the two groups of sculptures: "The Nereids with cherubs and sea horses", by Gregorio Zappalà and "Neptune fighting an octopus", by Antonio della Bitta.