Mamma mia

The Fountain of Leto (le bassin de Latone) lies on the grand east-west axis of Versailles, at the base of a wide stair that leads down from the parterres outside the château's western façade. Latone (French via Latin), or Leto, was the mother of Apollo and Artemis in Greek mythology.

Gilded lizards, turtles, and frogs spew water (when the fountain is on) around the statue of Latone which stands atop a pyramid of marble.

From the fountain, the axis stretches westward toward the Grand Canal and the setting sun. A carpet of green grass down the middle (le Tapis Vert) separates two collections of about a dozen elaborate groves (les Bosquets) within which are nestled their own fountains, topiary, and statues. At the western end of the Tapis Vert, just before the Grand Canal, is the Fountain of Apollo. But that's for another post.