How 19th-century developers pushed the Trofei di Mario into a corner

If you look at the northern corner of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, you can see the Trofei di Mario. It is a massive ruin of a Nymphaeum, a monumental fountain built around 226 AD. It served as a grand terminal for an aqueduct branch, essentially acting as a massive water distribution castle and a public showpiece. The structure was built on the end of a branch that came from the Porta Tiburtina to head toward the Esquilino.

The structure was a feat of engineering, featuring a brickwork construction that was originally clad in marble. It was decorated with several statues, including a central niche on the upper floor with two statues and two side arches holding military trophies. The entire structure was crowned by an attic topped with a central quadriga and two side statues, following a model well established in Roman triumphal arches.

It could have been the centerpiece of the square. During a restoration between 1878 and 1885, the monument was originally intended to be in the middle of the new Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II to highlight its function as a monumental crossroads. However, private real estate companies won the argument. The ruin was pushed into the corner to make room for buildings and was reduced to a peripheral ornament. It was saved from demolition, though the surrounding houses built over it since the seventeenth century were eventually demolished during the restoration.

Today, you can walk right up to the brickwork. While the name suggests the victories of a legendary general, the sculptures were actually erected after the victorious campaigns against Catti and the Daci in 89 AD. The fact that it survived the interests of 19th-century developers is the real victory.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons