Piazza della Bocca della Verità is located in the ancient area of the Foro Boario in Rome at the height of Isola Tiberina. It takes its name from a marble mask, the Bocca della Verità or Mouth of Truth, which depicts a bearded faun or river god with holes for eyes, nose and mouth used for rainwater drainage. Since 1632, the Bocca della Verità has been anchored to the wall of the portico of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, which is distinguished by its portico and elegant Romanesque bell tower with seven levels of double and triple windows.
To the right of the church is the imposing palazzo dell'ex pastificio Pantanella built between 1878 and 1881. It housed the Museum of Rome in the 1930s and later council offices.
The Temple of Portunus has a rectangular shape and stands on a brick podium: a staircase leads to the portico with four Ionic columns in travertine marble on the front and another on each side. The adjacent Temple of Hercules is round and the oldest marble building extant in Rome. A perimeter of 20 columns (of one, only the base remains) enclosed the building which opened to the East with a wide door.
In 1715 Pope Clement XI had the fountain of the Tritons by architect Carlo Bizzaccheri placed in the centre of square: it has an octagonal base and two tritons holding a shell over their heads from where the water spills out.
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