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All Italy Soriano nel Cimino Papacqua Fountain

Papacqua Fountain

A stunning fountain depicting a mythological she-goat carved directly into the rocks on the grounds of a Renaissance palace.

Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

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Jan Claus Di Blasio
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Papacqua fountain - the Queen of Waters   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of the Queen of Waters with a satyr and an owl   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Moses surrounded by his people   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
The god Pan   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of the Papacqua fountain   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Representation of Spring   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Representation of Autumn   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Representation of Winter   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
Soriano al Cimino   Clemens M. Brandstetter
Representation of Summer   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Beyond a series of fountain masks adorning a wall just past the Rennaisance-era Chigi-Albani Palace, lies the main monumental façade of the Papacqua fountain. 

At the center of this exuberant Mannerist-style fountain is an enormous statue of a goat-legged woman with three infants crawling up her body. She is usually interpreted as simply "Mother," or "Queen of the Waters," and may represent the mythical she-goat Amalthea who nurtured the infant Zeus in a cave on a mountain in Crete.

In the background, carved directly in the local peperino rock, mythological figures such as the god Pan, two satyrs, and animals such as goats and owls emerge, providing a bucolic backdrop to the fountain. Another scene presents Moses striking the rock to slake the thirst of the Jews during the Exodus, in between the allegories of the four seasons. 

The striking sculptures of the Papacqua fountain embellish the grounds of the Chigi-Albani Palace in the village of Soriano nel Cimino, about 40 miles north of Rome. The palace was designed and built by the architect Ottaviano Schiratti for Cardinal Cristoforo Madruccio in the 1560s. This was during the time when the noble families of Rome were vying for the services of architects and artists to build their private Renaissance villas, such as Villa Lante in nearby Bagnaia, and Villa Farnese in Caprarola. (The Chigi and Albani families owned the palace during the 18th and 19th centuries and it is therefore named after them.)

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Fountains Renaissance Sculptures Art Mythology Palaces

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Palazzo Chigi Albani is only open during special occasions, such as the chestnut festival in October.

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Added By

LatiumMirabile

Published

November 8, 2018

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Papacqua Fountain
411 Via Papacqua
Soriano nel Cimino
Italy
42.419048, 12.232732
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Nearby Places

Sasso Menicante (Trembling Stone)

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Soriano nel Cimino

Soriano nel Cimino

Italy

Places 7

Nearby Places

Sasso Menicante (Trembling Stone)

Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

miles away

Tower of Chia

Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

miles away

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Viterbo, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Soriano nel Cimino

Soriano nel Cimino

Italy

Places 7

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