The fountain of Moses in Piazza San Bernardo, also known as the Exhibition of Happy Water, was erected between 1585 and 1589 as a terminal exhibition of the Felice aqueduct, commissioned by Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590), the century Felice Peretti, from which it took its name.
Designed by Domenico Fontana, the exhibition proposes the shape of a triumphal arch with three arches and is made of travertine, marble and stucco. Four colored marble columns mark the openings of three niches: in the central one there is the colossal statue of Moses by Prospero Antichi (not. 1578 ca. -1591) and Leonardo Sormani (not. 1550 ca.-1590) that the last.
The project. The monumental fountain has undergone numerous restorations over time that have allowed a thorough study of the work and the identification of the original workings and colors of the different materials. The location of the Happy Water Exhibition in an area of high traffic density made necessary in 2008 a new intervention, due to the poor state of the monument, blackened by a thick layer of fat and polluting dust, concentrated in particular on the marble reliefs and the statue of Moses, while the area of fake rocks and the basins at the base of the monument have been affected over time by deposits of limestone mixed with polluting particles.
The extraordinary maintenance work, promoted by Urban Vision and launched in February 2009, involved a careful cleaning of all the walls and surfaces by mechanical and chemical means. The damaged parts were consolidated, the grouting and the marble and travertine stone surfaces were overhauled and replaced, as well as the lead slabs of the roofs. Specific interventions concerned the waterproofing of the tanks and the reconstruction of the steps close to the fountain and the famous copper cross. The water system has also been overhauled and rebuilt, if necessary.