Caput Mundi: Restoration of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona

Caput Mundi Next Generation EU for touristic great events (Mission 1, Component 3, Investment 4.3)

Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan increases the number of accessible tourist sites in Rome, creating valid and qualified tourist and cultural alternatives with respect to the crowded central areas, as well as increasing the use of digital technologies, enhance green areas and the sustainability of tourism. The investment envisages six lines of interventions:
1. “Roman Cultural Heritage for EU-Next Generation”, covering the regeneration and restoration of cultural and urban heritage and complexes of high historical-architectural value of the city of Rome;
2. “Jubilee paths” (from pagan to Christian Rome), targeted to the enhancement, safety, anti-seismic consolidation, restoration of places and buildings of historical interest and archaeological pathways;
3. #LaCittàCondivisa, covering the redevelopment of sites in peripheral areas;
4. #Mitingodiverde, covering interventions on parks, historical gardens, villas and fountains;
5. #Roma 4.0, covering the digitalization of cultural services and the development of apps for tourists;
6. #Amanotesa, aimed at increasing the supply of cultural offer to peripheries for social integration.

The investment is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility by EUR 500 million and includes this project.
The restoration project fully revived the fountains by inspecting and reinforcing structural elements, cleaning and protecting surfaces, treating metal parts, maintaining the surrounding area, and ensuring the water system and waterproofing functioned properly. This project is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility with EUR 520000. The restoration project aimed to fully restore the monumental clarity of the fountains through a series of targeted interventions. Both fountains underwent preliminary tightness inspections of added or pivoted parts, surface reinforcement with consolidation treatments, and disinfection and disinfestation to eliminate harmful organisms. Extensive cleaning removed dirt, limescale, and limestone deposits, while plaster inspections led to necessary restoration or replacement to maintain structural and aesthetic integrity. Aesthetic enhancements were applied to improve overall appearance, followed by protective and anti-graffiti coatings to safeguard surfaces. Metal parts were cleaned and treated with antioxidants to prevent corrosion. The surrounding buffer area received maintenance to ensure cleanliness, and the water systems and basin waterproofing were inspected and repaired as needed to guarantee proper functioning.