Famous Fountains Around the World

Fountains have long been a symbol of luxury, vitality, and prosperity. While anyone can enjoy the benefits of a wall fountain, tabletop fountain, floor fountain or garden fountain at home, the vast majority of us could never afford the incredible fountain displays seen at palaces, hotels and ancient cities around the world. These incredible fountain designs feature soaring towers of water, richly detailed and textured sculpture, and shimmering reflective pools. Here are five of the most famous fountains in the world, from Las Vegas all the way to Russia.

Trevi Fountain - Rome, Italy

Made even more famous in the Federico Fellini film 'La Dolce Vita', the Trevi Fountain remains one of the most spectacular sights in Rome. Part of the Vergine aqueduct built by Agrippa in 19 B.C., this fountain sits in a tiny piazza on the northern end of the city near the Spanish Steps. The sculptures on the fountain were created between 1732 and 1762 by the artist Nicola Salvi.

Versailles Park and Fountains - Versailles, France

These majestic fountains sit in the garden of the palace of Versailles, the seat of the 'sun king', Louis XIV. Among the maze of hedges and flowers in the gardens you'll find fountains at every turn including those in the Colonnade Grove, the Encelade Fountain, the Baths of Apollo, the Flora Fountain and cherub fountains along the Allee d'Eau. On certain days in the spring and summertime, classical and baroque music is piped in while the fountains run with 1,333 gallons of water.

Jet d'Eau - Geneva, Switzerland

This icon of Geneva towers over the city at an amazing height of 459 feet, pushing over 132 gallons of water out of the nozzle every second. It came about when, in 1886, a company at the end of the Lake Geneva pumped and distributed water under pressure for craftsmen's machines. At nightfall, when the need for this water decreased, a hole in the pumping system led to an 'accidental' fountain. The city of Geneva made it into an official fountain in 1891 and it has been lit permanently since 1930.

Fountains of Bellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas delivers a spectacular show every night featuring these towering fountains, music and light. 1,200 nozzles, 4,500 lights and $40 million dollars are all it takes to put on an animated water and light display that dances along to a variety of music including Broadway and Frank Sinatra. The streams of water reach heights of up to 240 feet. This free show runs every 15-30 minutes from 7pm to midnight.

Peterhof Palace - St. Petersburg, Russia

The Grand Cascade and Samson fountains stand outside Peterhof, a series of palaces and gardens known as the 'Russian Versailles'. Created on the orders of Peter the Great, the Grand Cascade features a two-story artificial grotto, pools and jets of water that soak visitors when they reach out toward a table of artificial fruit. In the large semicircular pool sits the Samson fountain, representing Russia's victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War. From the lion''s mouth on this fountain shoots a 65 foot vertical jet of water.