Fontana della Piazza dei Quiriti Fontana della Piazza dei Quiriti Piazza dei Quiriti is a plaza in Rome in the middle of the Prati rione. It is named after the inhabitants of the city of Cures, the "Curites" or later "Quirites", namely the Sabines, who became inhabitants and co-founders of Rome. Another theory derives the name from the god Quirinus, a Roman deity. Near the square stands the church of St. Joachim, completed in 1898 by architect Raffaele Ingami. Its purpose was to solemnize the priestly and episcopal jubilee of Leo XIII. A fountain called the "Fountain of the Caryatids" is placed in the center,
Fontana di Piazza Colonna to the foot of the column of Marcus Aurelius. The source of the water for the fountain of Piazza Colonna was only 67 feet above sea level; like the Trevi Fountain, the Fontana della Barcaccia, and the fountains of Piazza Navona, all connected to the Acqua Vergine, the fountain of Piazza Colonna was unable to jet water high into the air. The original project of Della Porta was to place an antique Roman statue of a sea god, called Marforio, in the fountain, against a background of a rocky grotto, behind which the column of Marcus Aurelius would be seen.