Located in Piazza Mattei in the old Jewish Ghetto is one of Rome’s favorite fountains. Maybe it’s the intimate feel of the square, or the water falling noisily from the numerous spigots, or the playful choreography of the various statues . . or maybe it’s a combination of all of these.

Legend has it that a young Mattei duke had it built during a dinner to which he had invited his desired bride and her father (who until then refused to let the two marry). Upon showing them at dinner’s end what he was able to accomplish in so little time, the father agreed to give his daughter’s hand in marriage.

This is one of those occasions where the person who first told this story decided not to ruin it with the truth. Fact of the matter is that the fountain, by della Porta, was made in the early 1580’s while the building from which the young Mattei supposedly impressed his future father-in-law was only begun in 1616.

What is interesting is that originally it wasn’t a Fontana delle Tartarughe at all! The four bronze statues of the boys were helping dolphins, similar to the ones at their feet, into the upper basin. It was only later, in 1658, that Bernini came along and decided to swap them out with turtles instead . . . master stroke!