Caput Mundi: Fountains in Rome - Fountain in Piazza d'Aracoeli

Caput Mundi Next Generation EU for touristic great events (Mission 1, Component 3, Investment 4.3)

Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan increases the number of accessible tourist sites in Rome, creating valid and qualified tourist and cultural alternatives with respect to the crowded central areas, as well as increasing the use of digital technologies, enhance green areas and the sustainability of tourism. The investment envisages six lines of interventions:
1. “Roman Cultural Heritage for EU-Next Generation”, covering the regeneration and restoration of cultural and urban heritage and complexes of high historical-architectural value of the city of Rome;
2. “Jubilee paths” (from pagan to Christian Rome), targeted to the enhancement, safety, anti-seismic consolidation, restoration of places and buildings of historical interest and archaeological pathways;
3. #LaCittàCondivisa, covering the redevelopment of sites in peripheral areas;
4. #Mitingodiverde, covering interventions on parks, historical gardens, villas and fountains;
5. #Roma 4.0, covering the digitalization of cultural services and the development of apps for tourists;
6. #Amanotesa, aimed at increasing the supply of cultural offer to peripheries for social integration.

The investment is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility by EUR 500 million and includes this project.
Built in 1589, the Aracoeli Fountain had suffered significant deterioration due to prolonged neglect. Restoration works included the cleaning, consolidation, and protective treatment of stone surfaces; inspection, treatment, and partial replacement of metal elements; and the complete refurbishment of the basins, including removal of limescale, structural repairs, and application of new waterproofing. This project is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility with EUR 349000. The Aracoeli Fountain, built in 1589, had fallen into a state of deterioration due to prolonged lack of maintenance. Restoration works focused on stone, metal, and basin surfaces. On the stone surfaces, the following interventions were carried out: mechanical removal of unstable surface deposits and invasive vegetation; biocidal treatment; elimination of limestone encrustations through mechanical and chemical cleaning; reinforcement of cracked and disaggregated areas; re-adhesion of detached fragments; removal of deteriorated plaster; re-plastering with mortar and hydraulic lime; decorative reintegration of missing elements; and the application of a water-repellent protective coating. On the metal components, all elements were inspected and overhauled, treated with antioxidant solutions, and where necessary, replaced due to deterioration or loss of functionality. Work on the interior of the basins included mechanical removal of limestone layers and existing surface waterproofing, elimination of non-functional plaster, crack reinforcement in the screed, preparation of the basin bottoms, and application of a new waterproofing system.