The Statue Of Neptune In Piazza Della Signoria And The Tower Of Badia Fiorentina - Monastero In Background In Florence. Stock Photo

The Fountain of Neptune - Fontana del Nettuno - is a fountain in Florence, Italy, situated on the Piazza della Signoria, Signoria square, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio and made of marble and bronze. The 4.2 meter tall Neptune figure, made of Apuan marble, was completed in 1565 in time for the wedding of Francesco de` Medici I to grand duchess Johanna of Austria. Florentines were not impressed and called the statue `Il Biancone` `the white giant` . The work on the basin and other aspects of the fountain required nearly ten years adding around the perimeter of the basin in a mannerist style, reclining, bronze river gods, laughing satyrs and marble sea-horses emerging from the water. The pedestal on which the statue stands is in the center of the octagonal fountain. It is decorated with the mythical figures of Scylla and Charybdis. The final work was completed in December 1574. The statue on display today is a copy made in the 1800s when the original was moved to the National Museum. Florence, Italy, Europe.