Rice Krispy Treats, a Soup Tureen and Turtles

Last Sunday I made Rice Krispy Treats to take to church for the refreshment time after Mass. They were a big hit. For many it was a first experience of this American sweet. One Irish nun came up to me saying she had to leave. If she stayed longer she would eat even more. She felt guilty that she had eaten four!

After Mass we made our way to La Fontana Terrina in the piazza in front of Santa Maria in Vallicella, known as the Chiesa Nuova. We enjoyed a lunch of falafel and kebabs sitting near the fountain in front of this 16th century church, part of the complex built by St. Philip Neri.


La Fontana Terrina (because it is shaped like a soup tureen) was built around 1590 by Giacomo della Porta for the Campo de’ Fiori. In 1622 Pope Gregory XV had it covered, apparently to protect it from garbage being thrown in by the sellers in the market of Campo de’ Fiore. At the beginning of the 20th Century this fountain was moved to its present location.

After lunch we wandered through the Sant’ Angelo neighborhood, an area commonly referred to as Rome’s Jewish Ghetto.
After a coffee we went to Piazza Mattei to see the small Fontana della Tartarughe or Turtle Fountain, one of my favorite fountains in Rome.





Fontana della Tartarughe (1581-84) was designed by Giacomo della Porta. The turtles were not part of the original fountain. They are attributed to Bernini and added during a restortion of the fountain in 1658. A modern restoration was done in the 1973 by Sergio Angelucci. Before his death, Sergio also completed the study for a second modern restoration that was just completed a year ago.




















Note: In 1979 one of the turtles was stolen, so today all of the turtles on the fountain are copies of the originals. (Where do they store Bernini turtles for safe keeping?)