The Four Fountains depict the Tiber which recognizable by the presence of the Wolf, the Arno which is the two male figures, and Diana and Juno, the females. The statues were erected at the end of the 16th century under Pope Sisto V during a period of reconstruction and embellishment of the city.
The Four Fountains
The Four Fountains are the four baroque water fountains which are situated in an abandoned hill at each of the four corners of the crossroads of Via delle Quattro Fontane, Via del Quirinale and Via XX Settembre in Rome. Like the other hills that were abandoned in the Middle Ages, this hill regained its importance only in the 16th century when it was renamed Monte Cavallo after the great equestrian statues of Castor and Pollux. Found in the ruins of the baths, these statues were re-utilized for the fountain in front of the Palazzo Quirinale.
The four fountains at this crossroads were designed by Domenico Fontana for Pope Sixtus V and are a perfect piece of urban planning: they are right at the center of an enchanting triangle created by the obelisks of Santa Maria Maggiore, Piazza del Quirinale and Trinita' de Monti.
This crossroads is named after the fountains that decorate its four corners and marks the highest point on Rome's highest hill. The Quirinal Hill was the site of temples, patrician residences and the sumptuous Baths of Constantine in ancient times.
Accordingly, these four sleepy reclining statues, so aloof yet keeping a sly watch on us poor overstressed humans, give the place a special atmosphere of privacy and endow it with such a significance that along with the marvelous views at the end of each of the four streets.