GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT
THE HUNDRED FOUNTAINS
This truly spectacular feature boasts nearly 300 spouts fed by three
parallel canals, one above the other. Along the edge of the upper canal
there are spouts in the form of lilies, the emblem of France, alternating
with the d’Este eagle, boats and obelisks; all spraying water in a fan
shape. The water is captured by the second canal, which feeds it into
spouts in the form of masks, from which it reaches the lower canal.
THE FOUNTAIN OF NEPTUNE
The wall is now so overgrown with vegetation that little of the remaining
decoration can be seen. It was restored in 1930 to its present form after
being neglected for numerous centuries.
This is a truly spectacular garden which has been made without the use
of pumps and to see the columns of water spraying up into the air, one
realises just how talented the designers were.
The Fountain of Neptune was built in the 20th century to
replace a rocky cascade, created in the 17th century. Against
the wall of the Grottos of the Sibyls, they built rectangular
pools with powerful water jets, the tallest jets in the centre.
The centrepiece was a grotto beneath the waterfall from the
Fountain of the Organ named for a mechanism inside the
fountain that, by means of water, creates notes similar to that of
an organ – this effect can still be heard by visitors today. The
grotto contains a torso of a statue of Neptune. Other jets
of water in fan shapes arise from pools on the sides of the
fountain. The three fish ponds stretch out across the garden from
the Fountain of Neptune. They served originally to provide fresh
fish, duck and swan for the table of the Cardinal.
There are so many other beautiful water features in the garden
and it is very difficult to describe them all in an article so
I made a short video of a few of the features in this truly
astounding garden.
Follow the link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/
vXeiHukxeYU
ISSUE 34 - JUNE 2018
13