Naples - Neptune Fountain

Neptune (oooh what a big trident I have) Fountain

This 16th century traveling fountain is currently taking up a great deal of space on the Via Medina right off the Piazza Municipale (at least that is where it is as of writing) in a sort of in a pedestrian zone.Or at least as much of a pedestrian zone as you can get in Naples.

The fountain is an exquisite jumble of symbolic and mythological elements, nymphs, caryatids, heraldic lions, shields, sea horses and great floppy crowns all topped off with an inelegant one handed statue of Neptune holding a surprisingly over-sized thick trident (compensate much?).

It’s been moved a lot over the centuries and funnily enough the guidebook of Naples that I bought shows it in a different position in front of the town hall in Piazza Municipale.

It seems a little awkward and out of place where it is right now. Still better than the Elk Fountain in Portland, Oregon.