Fountain of Neptune, Bologna Monument

Address: Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Admission: Free to view in Piazza del Nettuno

The Fountain of Neptune is a monumental fountain in Bologna’s Piazza del Nettuno, adjacent to the central Piazza Maggiore, featuring a bronze statue of Neptune by the sculptor Giambologna. The fountain complex was executed in the 1560s and is one of Bologna’s principal civic landmarks.

The composition places the bronze Neptune atop a richly carved marble basin populated with allegorical sea figures and putti, forming a focal point in the square. The fountain has long been a central meeting place and an architectural counterpoint to the nearby Palazzo Comunale and cathedral precincts.

Commissioned by the city in the mid-16th century and completed in the 1560s, the fountain combined public urban design with late Renaissance sculptural work. It remains a highly photographed civic monument in central Bologna.

The fountain occupies Piazza del Nettuno in the historic centre of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, immediately north of Piazza Maggiore and within the pedestrian core of the city.

• Artist and date: Sculpted by Giambologna and completed in the mid 1560s, the bronze Neptune stands above a large marble basin in the Piazza del Nettuno adjacent to Piazza Maggiore.

The fountain sits in Piazza del Nettuno, adjacent to Piazza Maggiore in central Bologna. From Bologna Centrale station, it’s a 15-20 minute walk or a short taxi/tram ride to the city center.

• Visit early morning or late evening to avoid crowds and for the best light on the bronze figure.
• Look for the engraved names and dates on the fountain base-the work dates to 1563 and the fountain was sculpted by Giambologna, while Tommaso Laureti designed the architectural setting.
• Pair a visit with a walk through the Quadrilatero Market for local food and street life.