I have already written, in the past, about some picturesque fountains in Rome, created in the first half of the twentieth century, which were built to pay tribute to the districts in which they were built. I am reminded, for example, of the Fontana delle Tiare or that of Libri, both interesting, evocative, and unique. Today, your tour guide in Rome takes you to another fountain in the list, so to speak, a small water source that recalls the main function of the area in which it is located, that of being port-related.

Built in 1930 by Pietro Lombardi, this small fountain, like all the others that were built during the same period and by the same author, symbolizes one of the districts of the city. I am talking about the so-called Fontana del Timone, specifically in the Ripa district. Located near Porta Portese, theoretically the fountain is not exactly in the Ripa district, but in Trastevere. It doesn't matter, because Lombardi designed this fountain in travertine here, as a reminder of the location of the ancient port of Ripa destroyed in 1870 during the construction of the Muraglioni along the Tiber. The realization of this wall definitively ended the danger that the Romans faced from the floods of the Tiber, as you can read here, for example. The symbols on the fountain represent the port and river activities that kept hundreds of people busy day after day. The bar holds the rudder, with the name Ripa inscribed on it. The water flows from the center of the rudder and also from the two lateral volutes that seem to support the rudder, while the entire structure rests on a step in porphyry, slightly elevating it. Today it seems almost forgotten, barely noticed by the thousands of motorists who, on the Lungotevere, wish to reach the area of Porta Portese. Yet, despite everything, even this small water fountain reminds us how Rome, since ancient times, had a river port. 

The Tiber, after all, was not only a source of death, but also a great economic and commercial resource. The ancient Romans understood this many centuries ago when they struggled greatly to build their river port, which was initially located around the bend of the Tiber. Therefore, let's pause for a moment here, in front of the Fontana del Timone. It seems almost fearful to be there, close to the cars of Romans and non-Romans alike, but yet it is a witness to something that has made the fortune of the Eternal City for centuries. Sometimes, by focusing on these details, we can remember this.