From Etruscans and Romans to Modern Times - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 67

PAPAL BUILDERS
The word Pope is from the Latin word for father; pontiff, from the Latin, means pathfinder
as well as bridge. Both words help to associate Renaissance Popes with their contributions
to the Rome that continues to delight strollers and remind them that the gift of a great city
is the opportunity for a chance encounter.
FOUNTAINS, STEPS, AND PARKS
The Trevi Fountain was designed by Nicolo Salvi at the command of Pope Clement XII.
More than twenty years in construction (1732-51), it is Rome's largest fountain. Baroque in
style, horses rise and plunge, and Neptune commands the fountain flanked by two Tritons.
Those who recall the movie Three Coins in the Fountain remember that tossing coins into
the water makes dreams come true and assures the traveler's return to Rome.
Figure 5.9. Trevi Fountain
The Triton Fountain was built by Bernini for Pope Urban VIII. Five years in construc-
tion, the fountain is dominated by dolphins supporting the Pope's coat of arms and by a
triton sounding a conch shell.
The Baroque Spanish Steps have been a favorite haunt of tourists for at least 200 years.
It has 137 steps punctuated with ramps and leads upward from a fountain to a fifteenth-cen-