With its fountain and clusters of palm trees, the grand courtyard of the Palazzo Venezia is a veritable oasis of peace and tranquillity in the heart of Rome.
The fountain (1730) of Venezia Sposa il Mare (Venice Marries the Sea) is the work of the Roman sculptor Carlo Monaldi (c.1683-c.1760). Venice takes the form of a young woman, who holds, betwixt thumb and forefinger, the ring with which she will wed the sea. The winged lion of St Mark, the symbol of La Serenissima, crouches obediently at her feet.