Florence:
Fountain of Neptune
The Fontana del Nettuno, in Piazza della Signoria, was the first major public fountain to be erected in Florence.
The Fountain of Neptune was commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici (r. 1537-74) to celebrate the marriage of his son and heir Francesco de' Medici to Grand Duchess Joanna of Austria.
It was designed by Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560), but created by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1511-92), with the assistance of several other artists, between 1560 and 1574.
The Fountain of Neptune was commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici (r. 1537-74) to celebrate the marriage of his son and heir Francesco de' Medici to Grand Duchess Joanna of Austria.
It was designed by Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560), but created by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1511-92), with the assistance of several other artists, between 1560 and 1574.
When Ammannati's statue of Neptune was first unveiled, the good people of Florence were less than impressed by what they saw, if the following ditty is anything to go by, "Ammannato, Ammannato, che bel marmo hai rovinato!" (Ammannato, Ammannato, what beautiful marble you have ruined!)