Commissioned by Pope Innocent X and completed in 1651, this spectacular travertine and marble fountain that graces the Piazza Navona in Rome is a symbol of the four major rivers of the continents as was known at that time. The Danube, representing Europe; The Ganges, for Asia; The Nile for Africa; and The Rio della Plata for the Americas. The head on the figure of the Nile is shrouded as the source of the river wasn't known to Europe at that time.
"Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers" © Kathy Dunham 2009
