One of the many incredible fountains of Rome, this one is located on the alley leading to St. Peter. I was waiting for the nuns to walk into my picture, and they looked at the fountain to see what I was photographing. Fountains in Rome are endlessly fascinating -for their artistic value, but also as an important drinking water source and for personal hygiene throughout the centuries. There is much controversy over the roots of the word SPA that you see carved into the stone above the fountain, many claim (among them Wikipedia) that the term SPA is derived from a Belgian town, others think it has Roman/Latin origins, and that SPA stands for Sanus Per Aquam, Health through Water. You decide, but this fountain makes me think of the latter!