Address: Rome, IT
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The Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, also known simply as Il Fontanone, or “the big fountain,” dates from 1610, making it the Tiber’s left bank’s oldest. Built to mark the end of a 2nd century aqueduct, the marble is a historical composite of pillaged materials from the old St. Peter’s Basillica and the Roman Forum. A baroque facade featuring carved angels, eagles, and dragons is a dreamy, whimsical setting to cool off amid the city heat. To sit at the foot of it, peering at views of the botanical gardens beyond its pink marble arches, is to bask in one of Rome’s most romantic views.