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-   -   Piazza Navona fountain (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/piazza-navona-fountain-696174/)

clareita Apr 12th, 2007 04:39 AM

Piazza Navona fountain
 
Is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the Piazza Navona undergoing restoration right now? We will be in Rome one week from Saturday and I'm hoping that I'm wrong.

julieah Apr 12th, 2007 05:24 AM

Yes, there is scaffoding on the bottom of the fountain. You can look thru the fence to see it but it wouldn't make a good picture.

heeney Apr 12th, 2007 05:34 AM

I'll be there later during the summer. Any idea when the restoration will be done?

caltobello Apr 12th, 2007 05:43 AM

I can reiterate juliah's comment, we were there last wed - fri.
The fountain is almost unrecognizable. The only other place where I really remembered scafolding around major sites in rome is the obelisk at the top of the spanish steps, and all of the the monument to Victor Emanuel (wedding cake).

julieah Apr 12th, 2007 06:00 AM

FYI
There is also scaffoding around Trajan's column.

tomassocroccante Apr 12th, 2007 06:24 AM

In 1999 half the city was behind scaffolding and curtains in preparation for the millennium and Holy Year. Truly. But in Rome there is always something else around the corner. Unless you're making the trip to recreate a special memory at a site currently under renovation, don't worry about it.

Rome wasn't maintained in a day ...

heeney Apr 12th, 2007 12:23 PM

Topping.

Any idea when the restoration is going to be completed?
I'll be staying at a hotel right next to Navona and I was looking forward to sitting in the Piazza looking at that beautiful Bernini.

tomassocroccante Apr 13th, 2007 08:10 PM

Just searched aropund the net and couldn't find a clue about any projected date.

heeney Apr 17th, 2007 05:32 AM

Quick update:

I googled around on the net for this and I found a news article dated early June of 2006 that announced the restoration. They said it would be a 12 month process. So it's supposed to be done in a little under 2 more months.

vinolover Apr 17th, 2007 05:55 AM

Both the Fountain and the Sant'Agnese in Agone church were covered with scaffolding when we were there last month. There are are few photos in my trip album:
http://tinyurl.com/yro37e

We still had an enjoyable time hanging out in the Piazza. It is so large that you can sit near one of the other two fountains and still have a lovely view.

tomassocroccante Apr 18th, 2007 09:14 AM

Vinolover, excellent photo album!


Girlspytravel Apr 18th, 2007 09:23 AM

It is reconstruction time in the art cities of Florence, Venice and Rome-many of the churches and the Piazza Navona fountain are under scaffolding now. If you go to Venice, you'll see the entire top half of La Salute-the landmark site of Venice, under scaffolding at the present time, as well as many churches. In Florence, a large swath of the Duomo is also under scaffolding.

heeney Apr 19th, 2007 05:57 AM

Wow. The Salute and Duomo also have scaffolding right now?
Is this "reconstruction time" a yearly things? When does this usually occur?

Or is there some kind of large event coming up that is the reason why so many major monuments are being fixed up right now?

NeoPatrick Apr 19th, 2007 06:02 AM

I can't recall ever being in Rome when there weren't dozens of sites -- churches, major buildings, fountains, etc -- covered with scaffolding and those mesh false facades they work behind. If they ever get that city done it will be wonderful. LOL

TravMimi Apr 19th, 2007 06:07 AM

ah the mesh lol. I don't mind the building mock ups on the mesh, but those awful ads. Now there are more than even because the companies are paying for the reconstruction with them.

NeoPatrick Apr 19th, 2007 10:40 AM

I love it when they paint that mesh to look like the actual facade. And I still marvel at standing in the gardens of the Linderhof in Germany as a woman was taking picture after picture. When I mentioned to her how disappointed I was that the repairs were going on, she looked at me and said, "well, it certainly doesn't show. The building is so spectacular". That's when I realized she had no idea she was photographing a building completely obscured by mesh painted to look like the real building.

tomassocroccante Apr 19th, 2007 03:34 PM

That's great, NeoP ! As I mentioned above, in 99 half of Rome seemed to be under scaffold - in 2001, hardly anything was obscured. If I could take that 99 trip again I'd photograph all the scaffolding and then do it again later with the "finished" buildings.


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