Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune Fountain)

The Fontana del Nettuno stands in Piazza del Nettuno, the small square joined to Piazza Maggiore in the historic centre of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Cast between 1563 and 1566 by the Flemish-born sculptor Giambologna to a design associated with Tommaso Laureti, the monument shows a muscular, outstretched bronze Neptune holding his trident above a marble basin. Around the base sit bronze putti, dolphins and four sirens whose breasts spout water, symbolising the four winds and the rivers of the world. Locals call the statue il Gigante, the Giant, and the fountain is one of the best-known emblems of the city. A visit takes only 15 to 20 minutes, but the sculpture rewards a slow walk around the base, since the figure is designed to be seen from all sides. A popular story among students holds that Neptune's pose, seen from the correct angle, appears anatomically improbable, and the tale persists as a piece of local humour. Another tradition says that students should not walk around the fountain before graduating. The finest photographs come from the steps at the east side of the square looking back toward the basilica, and from the corner by the Palazzo del Podesta where the Gigante frames against the facade. Lighting is best in the early morning, when the square is quiet, and after dark, when the bronze is floodlit against the dark brick. The fountain is part of a pedestrian area, so the surrounding paving is busy with street performers and tour groups in the middle of the day and on weekends. Because it is an open-air monument, entry is free and there is no queue. It is easily combined with Piazza Maggiore, the Palazzo d'Accursio and the lanes of the Quadrilatero, all within a few minutes of walking, making it an ideal first or last stop on a city walking tour.