Fontana del Nettuno, Rome — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune Fountain) sits at the northern end of Piazza Navona, one of Rome's most magnificent squares. It's the less famous of the square's three fountains, but it has a dramatic history of its own.

The fountain was originally created in 1574 by Giacomo della Porta as a simple basin. It sat for nearly 300 years without any crowning sculpture, earning the nickname "the fountain of the coppersmiths" after the nearby metalworkers. In 1878, sculptors Antonio della Bitta and Gregorio Zappala finally completed the composition, adding a muscular Neptune battling a giant octopus, surrounded by sea horses, cherubs, and nereids.

The delay in completion was partly due to the rivalry between the fountain's location and Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi at the centre of the square. For centuries, no sculptor wanted to compete with Bernini's masterwork.

The fountain is best seen in late afternoon, when the sunlight catches the spray and the marble figures. It sits near the entrance to Via Agonale, which takes its name from the agonal games held in the Stadium of Domitian, the ancient arena that lies beneath the entire piazza.

If you're on a Questo quest through Rome, the Neptune Fountain is a stop where three centuries of artistic ambition, rivalry, and eventually courage created a fitting bookend to one of the world's greatest public squares.