Overview
The Fountain of Books is neither the most renowned nor the largest fountain in Rome. It is not the work of an eminent architect, nor is it ancient, at least by the standards of the Eternal City. However, it is very dear to the inhabitants of the Sant'Eustachio district and those who arrive near the Sapienza building cannot resist taking a picture of it. Unusual, charming and certainly representative of the spirit of the district, it was commissioned by the municipality, designed by Pietro Lombardi and built in 1927 in Via degli Staderari, a stone's throw from the junction with Corso del Rinascimento. Four books, two on each side, allude to the university character of the Sapienza building, where, at the time of the fountain's installation, the Sapienza university was still located; water, symbolising the flow of knowledge, springs from spouts beneath the books. The spheres at the top refer to the coat of arms of the de' Medici family, a dynasty to which this area owes much, and which founded the nearby Palazzo Madama. The deer head that lies between the two corbels of the fountain is the symbol of the district and, earlier still, of St. Eustace, who was converted during a hunting expedition when he saw the cross of Christ between the antlers of a deer. The name S. Eustachio is engraved vertically, while horizontally, a letter R and the Roman numeral IV can be read, the meaning of which is uncertain at first sight. In reality, it is the result of a trivial mistake by the public administration: it is meant to indicate the number of the rione (official district), which is not in fact the fourth but the eighth district of the capital.
