The first book to tell the dynamic story of one dynasty's struggle with water, to control its flow and manage its representation, this interdisciplinary study pivots on two well-known water-related Medici creations, Bartolomeo Ammannati's Neptune Fountain (1560-1574) in the Piazza della Signoria, the first public fountain in Florence since antiquity, and the Naumachia, or naval battle, staged by Ferdinando I in the courtyard of the Palazzo Pitti for his wedding to Christine of Lorraine in 1589. Water was tied to politics, whether in the form of water management policies or in the alliances...