Fountains of Rome: Trevi, Navona, the Turtles and the Nasoni

Rome has several hundred fountains, some of them Baroque masterpieces and others simple spouts where you fill your water bottle. This guide presents the finest, in the order of a walk through the centre, then the little drinking fountains, the "nasoni", which travellers often overlook. Prices and rules date from October 2026.

The great fountains

The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is the end point of the ancient Aqua Virgo. Completed in 1762 by Nicola Salvi, it fills the whole facade of Palazzo Poli. Since 2 February 2026, access to the area at the edge of the basin costs €2; the square itself remains free. Sitting on the edge or bathing is forbidden. The traditional gesture: throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, with your back to the basin; the coins go to Rome's Caritas. Come early or late in the evening to see the fountain without the crowd.

Piazza Navona

On Piazza Navona, three fountains follow one another. In the centre, Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651), topped by an obelisk, represents the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile and the Rio de la Plata. To the south is the Moor Fountain, to the north the Neptune Fountain. The square is open 24 hours a day; in the evening it is quieter and better lit.

The Turtle Fountain

Hidden in little Piazza Mattei, in the heart of the Ghetto, the Turtle Fountain dates from 1588: four bronze youths hold up turtles that drink from the upper basin. The design is attributed to Giacomo della Porta, the bronzes to Taddeo Landini; the turtles were added later. It is one of the prettiest small squares in the city, two minutes from the Jewish quarter.

The Barcaccia and Piazza di Spagna

At the foot of the Spanish Steps, the Barcaccia, a half-sunken boat, recalls the Tiber flood of 1598. Its design is attributed to Pietro Bernini. On Piazza di Spagna, sitting on the steps of the Trinità dei Monti is forbidden and may earn you a fine.

Piazza del Popolo

Piazza del Popolo is dominated by a fountain with marble lions around an Egyptian obelisk, and two fountains at each end of the semicircle. Free, open at any hour.

Fountains to see in passing

The Triton Fountain, Piazza Barberini, by Bernini (1643).
The Paola Fountain ("Fontanone"), on the Janiculum, completed in 1612: its great five-arched facade stands out in the evening.
The Four Fountains, at a crossroads on Via del Quirinale, near San Carlino.
The Villa d'Este in Tivoli, a Renaissance garden of water features: see the page on the Villa d'Este.

The "nasoni": free drinking water

The nasoni ("big noses") are the green cast-iron spouts of the city network: the water that flows from them is drinkable, cool and free, and there are more than 2,500 of them in the city. A finger over the lower opening makes a small jet shoot from the hole on top, handy for drinking. Fill your bottle anywhere, except at historic fountains that are not spouts.