The ‘Fontana Di Nettuno’ in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion

Epcot's Italy Pavilion offers some of my favorite things in Epcot. Gathered there around the central plaza - designed to pay homage to Venice, Italy's St. Mark's Square - Disney guests will find a collection of boutique shops and restaurants to enjoy. Families mingle around scattered tables and chairs located behind Enoteca Castello to take a rest and enjoy a special glass of wine. Nearby the 'Fontana Di Nettuno' or Fountain of Neptune honors both the classical Baroque designs of 17th Century Rome, and Venice's ancient connections to the sea.





The beautiful pavilion is replete with hallmarks of Italian architecture, and the 'Fontana Di Nettuno' is no exception. In fact, no less than eight major Italian cities (including Bologna, Florence, Naples and Messina, among others) have fountains dedicated to Neptune, the Roman god of fresh water and the sea.

Disney's depiction of Neptune, shows him, bearded with wisdom and power, flanked by two dolphins and armed with the trident which he used to create new bodies of water. To me, however, the most interesting aspect of this depiction is the addition of the conch shell in his hand. The conch is a traditional symbol not of Neptune, but of his son Triton - messenger of the sea. Triton would blow into the conch to calm or raise the waves.


Fontana di Nettuno


Though Imagineers used Rome's famous 'The Fontana di Trevi' as an inspiration for the piece, the Trevi fountain does not represent Neptune, but rather the spirit of Ocean. The Trevi is Italy's capital city's largest fountain and arguably one the most beautiful in the world. Tradition holds that if visitors throw a coin into Trevi the fountain (using the right hand over the left shoulder) that they are ensured a return again. Many a Disney visitor has tossed their own coin into 'Fontana Di Nettuno' with the same hope.

Have you tossed a coin into 'Fontana Di Nettuno'? Leave a comment and let us know!