05/23/2026
I never realized this fountain carried over 400 years of history. I’ve probably passed this fountain many times over the years, but photography has a way of slowing me down enough to notice the beauty and history that has been around me all along.
Journey Notes: The Heffelfinger Fountain at Lake Harriet originally stood at Villa Montalto in Fiesole, Italy during the late Renaissance period near Florence. Created in the late 1500s, the original sculptor’s name was never fully documented or has been lost over time — something not uncommon for decorative Renaissance garden works created centuries ago.
The fountain was eventually purchased and brought to Minneapolis by Frank Totten Heffelfinger before being donated to the Minneapolis Park Board and installed in the Rose Garden in 1947.
Standing quietly among the lilacs and gardens, it feels like a timeless piece of European art hidden in Minnesota — something beautiful that has survived centuries of history and still continues to bring people peace today. And somehow, this incredible piece of history has quietly been sitting almost in my own backyard all along.
📍 Lake Harriet Rose Garden — Minneapolis, Minnesota
Photography by Jana Ramlet, CPP
Photo Journey Designs — Minnesota Moments
