Fontana in Firenze

Last weekend we took a trip to Florence to get a look at another major city in Italy. After traveling all day through Siena and finally to Florence, we were pretty tired. We showered and ate dinner and proceeded to share a bottle of wine, but then we split up. Joe, Jackie, and I took to walking around the city since we didn't feel like going back to the hostel just yet. Somehow we ended up in Piazza della Signora staring up at all the statues strewn around us, including a replica of Michelangelo's David.

Right next to Palazzo Vecchio is the Fountain of Neptune. It was created by Bartolomeo Ammanatti in 1565 for the wedding of Franceso I de' Medici to the grand duchess Johanna of Austria. The face of Neptune apparently resembles that of Cosimo de' Medici and the entire foutain is supposed to be "an allusion to the dominion of Florentines over the sea."

It is a pretty fountain, but oftentimes these pieces make me scratch my head. This one in particular made me wonder, because it seems as if a child is right under Neptune's naked body. If one looks closely, the child looks to be handing something to Neptune, but I am still unaware of the significance of it and why it had to be carved into the precious marble.

1. "Palazzo Vecchio." The Museums of Florence. 14 June 2009 .