The Fontana dei Delfini is located at the highest and most central point of Rieti, in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, at the intersection of the most important arteries of the historic center of the city. The square rests on the rocky ledge of travertine where the oldest nucleus of the city was built. Here in fact stood the forum of the Roman Reate, where it seems there was a Temple dedicated to Rea (deity from which it is thought to have taken the name of the city) and a temple dedicated to the Sabine deity Pater Reatinus. The first project of the Fontana dei Delfini dates back to 1654 by Alfonzo Balzico. The Baroque fountain with its mixed shapes shows elegance in its sumptuous lines rich in allegorical symbolism; it is adorned by the figures of the powerful satyrs and the harmonious sinuosity of the dolphins, decorations today unfortunately partially muted.
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