Touching Robba Fountain
The other day I was sitting and watching the most famous fountain in Ljubljana, the Robba fountain. You can’t really miss it, even if you wanted to. The main part of it is snow white, and all the main streets seem to lead towards it. It glitters in the sun like snow on the nearby Alps, except it stands in the middle of the old town.
For me, this fountain had always been a point of many interests.
I return to it again and again.
And I am not the only one.
The whole world stops here.
The atmosphere is intense with cameras. Its stairs are heavy with people.
But then …
there is a moment when…
nobody stops.
When the fountain can rest a little.
Nobody runs on its stairs or sits down.
I love those empty, quiet minutes.
I feel how deeply the stairs relax and the stone breathes when nobody looks.
The Stone
There are days when I need to touch that stone. I follow the curve of the basin with my hand. When I feel the cold stone under my palm, I calm down and feel that I can do life.
And then there are, as only I call them, the three Aquarius men. Across the years they have become my friends, and I am looking forward to meeting them when I come. I want to see how they feel up there, above Ljubljana’s main streets. I want to watch them step back a little and relax for a minute when nobody’s watching. And I wait for their monsters to slowly stretch jaws. … while water still flows into the basin…
I love it that they are- mature men. Their faces have seen the passing of time. They know humanity even better than I do.
But they are also young at the very same time.
Athletic bodies that can be admired across 300 years and up until today stand pouring that water. Their hands, hands of philosophers.
They express the tension that I adore in the world! The play of opposites. A great contrast.
That play of contrasts never fails to keep me interested and inspired.
The Color
When you sit and watch the Robba fountain long enough, you start seeing color.
It isn’t some obvious, bold color. You can almost miss it if you don’t pay attention.
Everybody’s favorite is, of course, the snow white of the three men and their beasts.
Is it because it is a Carrara marble?
I don’t know.
I seem to instantly recognize the most expensive items on offer, so that could be it. And what better choice than Carrara marble from Italy?!
Aks Michelangelo. – None in the world.
But that isn’t all. Robba’s choice of different limestones feels intentional.
Did those colors mean something deeper to him, or was it a practical decision? I don’t know.
But this whole sculptural work speaks through its color as much as it does through its shape. And that quietly delights me when I think about it. Because it is elegantly unexpected that he carved his sculpture of- color.
How baroque!
And then there is …
The Water
Through its 275 years the fountain lived inside the sounds of the cathedral bells and the flowing water.
Sometimes, when the city is quiet enough, it almost feels as if you can hear the fountain before you can actually see it. Its thin murmuring reaches the furthest street of the old town. It comes to meet you halfway.
Water is the only part of it that never changes.
The water’s flow must have been carefully designed. It isn’t fast pouring, nor is it a slow one. The flow is just right to keep you interested and inspired.
It brings a living element to cold, immovable stone. I understand, it is water that is the main character here. It introduces life and depth. It gives personality to the stone.
The Time
Does it matter to me that the fountain I am admiring is, in fact, a replica and less than 20 years old?- Absolutely not.
Why, indeed, should one obsess only about age?
I appreciate being able to delight in all details that had long been washed away by time and the elements.
The original Robba fountain, for those who swear by the old stone, can be found in the National Gallery.
Between them lie centuries of time and a kilometer or so of a gentle walk.
If you are curious why I keep returning to places like this, you might also enjoy my reflections on why travel through Slovenia is a real treat.
Alja
Elegant Cultural Tours
I write occasional Letters about travel, atmosphere, culture, beauty, and the human side of journeys.
You are warmly welcome to join them via sign up form in the Footer- Join the Letters.
Share:
Recent posts
