The 10 best FOUNTAINS
ONE of the main characters in
LIZZIE ENFIELD’s latest novel, Ivy And Abe, is a fountain designer and, after immersing herself in his world, Lizzie has come up with her top ten watery attractions… 1 MOVIE STAR THAT EARNS €3,000 A DAY Who can forget Anita Ekberg, frolicking in the waters of Rome’s Trevi fountain in the movie La Dolce Vita? Commissioned by Pope Clement XII, the Trevi features a statue of Oceanus, horses and gods. Three thousand euros are tossed into it daily. 2 A DRUNKEN CELEBRATION OF THE GLORIOUS GRAPE The German city of Worms is best known for being the place where Martin Luther defied the Holy Roman Emperor, but it is also at the heart of the Rhine’s winelands. A bronze relief at the Winemakers’ fountain shows four wine glasses with faces, their expressions ranging from sober to inebriated. 3 MAKE A WISH – YOU COULD BE IN LUCK At the heart of Singapore’s Suntec City shopping district sits the Fountain of Wealth, the world’s largest. When the water is off, you can walk around its central mini fountain three times – for luck! 4 CREATE TIME FOR THIS JAPANESE LANDMARK The Osaka station clock is a rectangular wall fountain harnessing digital technology, ejecting water droplets in patterns, including the time. 5 BUBBLING AWAY IN THE TIVOLI GARDENS Bubbles rise through a series of test-tube-like columns to create the fascinating Nimb Water Fountains in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. 6 ALL-SINGING, ALL-DANCING – IT CAN ONLY BE VEGAS You’d expect fountains in Vegas to be all-singing and all-dancing – and those at the Bellagio hotel don’t disappoint. Set on an eight-acre lake, their carefully choreographed musical displays are as legendary as Elvis. 7 A WELCOME PITSTOP ON THE CAMINO WAY Caldas de Reis in Galicia, Spain, is the second to last stop on the Camino de Santiago, and the modest fountain is a much needed stop for thirsty pilgrims. 8 GUSHING GEYSER IN THE CENTRE OF A LAKE The Jet d’Eau was created in Lake Geneva when engineers, working on a hydraulic power station to deliver water to the area, installed a relief valve. It creates a jet that shoots 460ft into the air. 9 EAU NO... THE WATER TASTES OF EGGS At the turn of the century, the people of Ashland, Oregon, wanted to create a spa town around its lithium-loaded waters. The Lithia drinking fountain remains – alas, the water tastes of eggs. 10 THE BEST PLACE FOR A NEW YEAR KNEES-UP Intended to reduce the risk of riotous assembly, London’s Trafalgar Square fountains have ironically become synonymous with New Year’s Eve revelry.