Fontana dei Libri | |
|---|---|
| Fountain | |
 The fountain in 2023 | |
| Builder | Pietro Lombardi |
| Completion | 1927 |
| Address | Via degli Staderari, 00186Roma RM, Italy |
  Fontana dei Libri  Fontana dei Libri  Fontana dei Libri | |
| Coordinates:41°53′54″N12°28′27″E / 41.8984°N 12.4741°E /41.8984; 12.4741 | |
TheFontana dei Libri (Fountain of the Books) is a fountain inRome,Italy. It is located on the site of thePalazzo della Sapienza [it], where the Roman State Archives are. The fountain is known for its unique design.[1]
The fountain is the last of the ten fountains built byPietro Lombardi starting in 1925, with the Fontana dei Libri being completed in 1927. He was commissioned by the city's Antiquities and Fine Arts Office to replace the ironnasone that they felt was displeasing to the eye.[1] The fountains show characteristics of whatrione they are located in, with the Fontana dei Libri displaying the deer from the coat of arms of therione it is in,Sant'Eustachio. The two large stacks of two books each adjacent to the deer symbolize theSapienza University of Rome. The bookmarks on the bottom books formerly displayedfasces, as the fountains were designed duringFascist Italy, but they were chiseled away after the republic was formed.[2] The engraving between the deer's horns in the fountain's center displays the name of therione and its number. On it, Sant'Eustachio is erroneously numbered as IV, when it is instead VIII.[3][4]
The fountain was restored in 1998, to removelimestone deposits. Another restoration occurred in 2018 after Dutch hooligans damaged theFontana della Barcaccia after a football game in 2015. The Dutch association Wij Zijn Romeinen wanted to finance another restoration in addition to the Barcaccia fountain to show their love for Rome.[2][5][6]
