Piazza Piazza Maggiore flows seamlessly into another square, Piazza del Nettuno, which is also home to one of the most beautiful fountains in Italy, the Fontana del Nettuno.

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Bologna's Neptune Fountain is one of the city's most famous symbols and appears on many promotional materials.

Completed in 1566, the fountain is topped with a bronze statue of Neptune by Tommaso Laureti and Giambologna.

It is said that Giambologna was so constrained by the Church in his execution of the nude Neptune that he placed Neptune's hand in such a position that from a certain perspective his finger looks like a man's privates. This picturesque detail can be admired from the black tile located behind Neptune's left shoulder.