(ANSA) Rome, September 22 - Bernini's famed Barcaccia
(Sunken Boat) fountain nestling at the foot of the Spanish Steps
was unveiled Monday after a one-year restoration costing 200,000
euros.
Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino, a known art lover who has been
raising billions to fund restorations in and around Rome,
presided as the fountain - whose gentle splashing famously
soothed Romantic poet John Keats as he lay in his deathbed in
his home at the foot of the Spanish Steps - was returned to
Romans and tourists alike.
Marino and the city's culture pointwoman, Giovanna
Marinelli, took the first sips of water to celebrate the event.
"It's a thrill to see the Barcaccia restored," said Marino.
The Baroque fresh-water fountain in the Piazza di Spagna in
the shape of a half-sunken ship with water overflowing its bows
was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII and was completed in 1627 by
Pietro Bernini and his son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Restored Barcaccia fountain unveiled
Mayor presides at Baroque masterpiece beloved by Keats