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Fontane di Piazza San Pietro are two fountains in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City , created by Carlo Maderno (1612–1614) and Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1667–1677) to ornament the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica . The older fountain, by Maderno, is on the north side of the square. See more  Travel Pics  at  Kampung Boy Photography The Maderno fountain on the north side of the square is located on the site of an earlier fountain, built in 1490 during the time of Pope Innocent VIII. It was reputed to be the finest fountain in Rome . Photo by Fadzil Hisham For half a century, the square was decorated with the Maderno fountain and with the obelisk raised by Pope Sixtus V, but the southern part of the square remained empty. In 1667, Pope Clement X commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to build a second fountain, which closely followed the design of the Maderno fountain. The Bernini fountain was completed in 1677. Like all fountains of the time, th...

Encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy , Vatican City is an independent city-state that covers just over 100 acres, making it the smallest country in the world. With population of about 1000, Vatican City is governed as an absolute monarchy with the pope as the ruler. The Vatican mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, issues passports and license plates, operates media outlets and has its own flag and anthem. The name Vatican city was first used in the Lateran Treaty , signed on 11 February 1929, which established the modern city-state. The name is taken from Vatican Hill , the geographic location of the state. Photo by Fadzil Hisham The Vatican City is ruled by the pope who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church . Within the Vatican City are religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica , the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums . They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique econo...