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The Tortoise Fountain: the Hidden Masterpiece of Piazza Mattei in the Roman Ghetto
In Piazza Mattei, in the district of Sant'Angelo, a short distance from the old Jewish Quarter, stands the Fontana delle Tartarughe, one of Rome’s most elegant fountains. It was created between 1581 and 1588 based on a design by Giacomo Della Porta, with bronze sculptures by the Florentine Taddeo Landini. The decision to place it here — and not in Piazza Giudia, as originally planned — was that of the nobleman Muzio Mattei, who in return undertook to pave the square and keep it clean.
Four Youths and a Legend
Four bronze adolescents each rest a foot on as many dolphins, supporting with one arm the upper basin in grey African marble. The shell-shaped basins in portasanta marble complete a composition in which sculpture takes precedence over architecture. Legend has it that one of the Mattei dukes, ruined by gambling, had the fountain built in a single night to demonstrate to his future father-in-law what an impoverished Mattei could still achieve. He then bricked up the window from which he had shown it. The only problem is that the palace dates from 1616 — thirty years after the fountain was built.
The Tortoises Came Later
The finishing touch dates from 1658: Gian Lorenzo Bernini added the four tortoises that appear to be climbing towards the water. Those visible today are copies — the originals, after repeated thefts, have been kept in the Capitoline Museums since 1981.
