The Trevi Fountain in Rome

Just a few steps from Piazza di Spagna and the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain is a must-see for any visitor exploring the Italian capital!

With its extravagant baroque architecture and monumental dimensions, the fountain ranks very high on the list of Rome’s most emblematic monuments!

Brief history of the Trevi Fountain

The origins of the Trevi Fountain

While the Trevi Fountain was built in the 18^th century, its origins are much older. The fountain marks the arrival of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, built in 19 BC on at the request of the Roman General Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.

The aqueduct was 20 kilometres /12.5 miles long and supplied water to the Campus Martius – a vast plain to the northwest of the present-day historic centre of Rome – as well as to the Baths of Agrippa.

Until the construction of the Trevi Fountain in the 18^th century, a much smaller fountain marked the end of the aqueduct.

The construction of the Trevi Fountain

In 1730, Pope Clement XII decided to uphold the modernisation policy carried out by his predecessors and launched a major competition to select the architect who would have the difficult task of creating the Trevi Fountain. The pope wanted to replace the small fountain at the end of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct with a grand and imposing architectural work.

Nicola Salvi, a Roman sculptor and architect, won the competition: the story goes that the Pope was seduced by the project… as well as by its very low cost! One thing is certain: the pope was definitely down to earth!

The construction of the fountain began in 1732. Unfortunately, neither Pope Clement XII nor the architect Nicola Salvi saw the project through to completion. Salvi died in 1751 and the architect Giovanni Paolo Panini took over.

The Trevi Fountain was inaugurated in 1761. It took 29 years to build!

The Dolce Vita

Fun fact: the Trevi Fountain has appeared in quite a few emblematic film productions!

The most famous of these films is undoubtedly Federico Fellini’s Dolce Vita, The mythical scene of Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni’s midnight bath in the Trevi Fountain has made the monument famous throughout the world!

But be warned: bathing in the Trevi Fountains is strictly forbidden and punishable by fine!

Where does the name of the Trevi Fountain come from?

The fountain’s name is directly derived from the square in which it is located, Piazza di Trevi, which was once the crossroads of three roads: tre vie in Italian.

Short description of the Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is a monumental construction (20 metres wide and 26 metres high) in the form of a triumphal arch made of Carrara marble and Tivoli travestin, supported by 4 large Corinthian columns.

The fountain is an allegory of water: the architect Nicola Salvi is said to have been inspired by the Fountain of the Four Rivers, located in Piazza Navona and created in the 17^th century by Bernini (also a must-see, by the way!)

In the centre of the fountain, Neptune, god of the sea, is represented on a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two horses guided by tritons (marine deities). One of the horses is restless while the other is peaceful, thus representing the two faces of the sea.

On either side of the statue of Neptune, two niches house each a statue: an allegory of Salubrity and an allegory of Prosperity, symbolising the virtues of pure water.

Higher up, two bas-reliefs represent General Agrippa and the young girl who, according to legend, discovered the source of the water supplying the aqueduct.

The upper part of the fountain is decorated with small allegorical statues and the coat of arms of Pope Clement XII.

Throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain

Legend has it that throwing a coin (or several coins) into the Trevi Fountain brings good luck. But you can’t do it just any way you want: you have to throw the coin over your left shoulder with your back to the fountain, and using your right hand.

The number of coins thrown into the fountain also matters:

• One coin: you will return to Rome in your lifetime
• Two coin: you will fall in love with an Italian
• Three coins: you will marry the person you’ve met

Since 2007, the money thrown into the fountain has been collected weekly by city employees and distributed to charities.

Here’s a little riddle: how much do you think the city of Rome collects each year?

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…

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1 million euros! Not bad, is it?

Access

The Trevi Fountain is located just a few steps from Piazza di Spagna and the Pantheon,

Access is free 24/7. That said being said, be prepared: massive crowds of tourists pretty much constantly flock to the fountain. If you want to admire the monument (relatively) quietly, you should either go very early in the morning or after dinner in the evening.

The nearest transports are:

• Metro: Barberini station
• Bus: stop Tritone – Fontana di Trevi
• Hop-on hop-of tourist bus: more information here

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