The fountain in Quirinale square is called the fountain of Dioscuri because the enormous statues representing the Dioscuri with their horses have been standing there since 1588, when Domenico Fontana was asked by Pope Sisto V Peretti (1585-1590) to build this unique public fountain. He put in front of the statues an octagonal basin in the middle of which on a pedastal was held another fountain. Pope Pio VI Braschi (1755-1799) had transported from the Mazzo camp an obelisk to Quirinale square. The transport was a difficult task that was finally completed in 1786. The fountain that we can see today in Quirinale square dates from 1818, when Pope VII Chiaramonti (1800-1823) replaced the original fountain, whose trace was lost, by a splended granit basin standing on a base placed above a lower big circular basin.