Rome - Fountain of Books (Fontana dei Libri) by Thomas Bugdoll

The Fountain of Books is located in Via degli Staderari, between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and was built in 1927 by Pietro Lombardi. The Staderari were the manufacturers of Stadere scales, i.e. scales with a single plate and an opposite weight, and had their workshops here.

The Fountain of Books is linked to the old name of the street, which was originally called Via dell'Università, because of the old Sapienza building, the seat of the university, which was later moved to the Rione Trastevere.

The fountain is set into a niche and shows a deer head (the symbol of the Sant'Eustachio neighbourhood) between four antique books standing on two side shelves. The water flows from two spouts, which look like bookmarks, and from the two upper volumes, which symbolise the knowledge that flows ceaselessly from the books.

The old books are reminiscent of the old Sapienza University and the fountain is in fact located in the side wall of the Sapienza Palace, which now houses the State Archives. Above it is the symbol of the Medici family, the owners of Palazzo Madama, which is located opposite the fountain.

In the centre of the fountain is the inscription: S. EUSTACCHIO - R IV. This engraving should correspond to the name and numbering of the district, but it is wrong, because the district of Sant'Eustachio is VIII and not IV.