Posted on Oct 16, 2025 / Travel

Short version: Nicola Salvi started the project in the 1730s and the whole fancy show wasn’t finished until the mid-1700s. Salvi died before it was complete, and Giuseppe Pannini and a few sculptors stepped in to wrap it up in 1762. The whole facade is basically a theatrical backdrop — Palazzo Poli is literally the stage behind the water. People often assume Bernini did it because it screams Baroque, but it’s more Salvi’s idea realized by a crew. The statues, the rocky travertine base, and the huge central sea-god all came together after decades of fits and starts. That long timeline explains why the fountain mixes ideas and why every guidebook treats the backstory like a mini soap opera. It’s a monument that grew up slowly, like a city crowd.
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