![]() I remember seeing Giambologna’s other work in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria. It was the first major commission for Flemish artist Giambologna, who created Neptune’s sculpture to sit atop a fountain base by architect Tommaso Laureti in 1563. The original version is in bronze and currently stands in Piazza del Nettuno in Bologna, Italy. However, the Carrara marble statue, which tops the fountain and anchors the plaza (or should I say piazza?), is a fake - a replica of a replica. And it seems as though he’s been towering over the city and keeping watch forever. He is gazing toward the distant ocean, his one hand is clutching a trident behind his back, the other outstretched, calming the waters ahead. The bearded figure is imposing, his torso twisted, his shoulder cocked, his eyebrows furrowed. You wouldn’t expect to find the god of the sea in a humble shopping mall in Southern California, but there he is, reigning supreme over his kingdom of cherubs, mermaids, dolphins and fish. And of course, the star of the attraction - Neptune himself. The arched brick loggias, terra cotta tile roofs, magnificent columns. If I had to put a country to the face-ades, it would be, undoubtedly, Italy. It feels empty, like a less-traveled part of a tourist destination where you can wander insouciant. There’s a gray quietness to this corner of the city every time I visit. With shops, restaurants and many other sights to see within the same stretch of coastline a trip to this part of California really is a once in a lifetime experience.All of Palos Verdes’ rolling hills and bluff-topped seascapes look like Europe, but Malaga Cove Plaza particularly so. Neptune's Fountain is an iconic statue that makes a brilliant focal point and a lovely place to visit. The wonderful spectacle can be witnessed everyday for free in the center of the square, and is particularly cherished during the high heat of summer. Nowadays if you visit the fountain you should find it in full swing, pumping water into the sky so that Neptune is never completely dry. This saw the fountain brought back to life, as it were, as they studiously fixed each of the formerly broken nozzles which hadn't sprayed water in many years. The 1999 restoration project saw a years worth of work by local architectures and sculptures alike to the tune of $103,000,00. those that believe Neptune should wear a fig leaf, and those who don't. Amid all of this turmoil there has been a fairly long and strife filled battle between two groups of fans. A second restoration was also restored in 1999 when it was also rededicated. It has been vandalized over the years with different colored paints, been chipped and restored – and in 1969 the whole thing had to be fully restored, so that the fountain as we know it today is not truly the original statue. ![]() Unfortunately the path of the statue has not always run true. The statue was then purchased for the low fee of $1 by the Palos Verdes Project, who made a gift of it and commissioned the rest of the fountain. The one that stands in Palos Verdes was a one third sized version that was imported to the US from Italy in the 1920's by one Arnoldo Adolfo Di Segni, a businessman who went broke shortly after he moved here. The Flemish artist Giambologna originally designed the fountain topping statue of Neptune some 200 years before erection and was originally a bronze statue. This architect was not responsible for the fountain however, which was designed much later. The Palos Verdes Estates themselves are a sort of structured group of affluent cities all planned by one master architect. This project sought to better the community while trying to protect some of the famous coastlines that make California so well known nowadays. The fountain itself was gifted to the Palos Verdes Estates in 1930 as a gift from the Palos Verdes Project.
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