Thanks to Hollywood movies like "Roman Holiday" and "Dolce Vita", the Trevi Fountain has become the focal point of romantic travelers’ dreams to visit. And yes, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" also featured the fountain.
We would do anything to take a picture and caption it “When in Rome” or throw a few cents into its clear water and make a wish.
(Just a thought: I don’t think making a wish at the fountain on 11:11 will help much – it may even negate it! Beware, wanderlusters.)
The fountain itself, which in person is overwhelmingly large and high, began its life as a thought in 1629 when the original fountain was “insufficiently dramatic” to Pope Urban VIII.
He commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to sketch possible renovation ideas, but the project was later abandoned when the pope died. However, the fountain we see today still includes some of Bernini’s original ideas which were included once the project was picked up again in 1732.
During the Baroque era, the competition to design architectural pieces such as buildings and fountains became outrageous. Even the Spanish Steps were competed over.
In 1730, Pope Clement XII organized a contest on who would design the fountain. Nicola Salvi lost to Alessandro Galilei, but was eventually awarded the commission due to a public outcry in Rome over the fact that Galilei was a Florentine.
The fountain was half finished in 1751 when Salvi died. Four different sculptures were then hired to complete the fountain. Pietro Bracci sculpted the statue of Oceanus which sits in the center. Filippo della Valle, Giovanni Grossi and Andrea Bergondi were the other three sculptors. Giuseppe Pannini was a hired architect as well.
The fountain was finally finished in 1762 by Pannini who was responsible for including sculptures of Agrippa and Trivia, the Roman virgin.
It was opened on 22 May of that year by Pope Clement XIII.
The backdrop for the fountain is the Palazzo Poli with a façade of a giant order of Corinthian pilasters that link the two main stories.
“‘Taming of the waters” is the theme of the gigantic scheme that tumbles forward, mixing water and rockwork, and filling the small square,” according to romeguide.it.
In the center is a triumphal arch which is placed on the palazzo façade.
The Tritons and horses provide symmetrical balance.
Oceanus, in the center as well, is framed by free-standing columns for maximal light and shade. Around him, Abundance spills water from her urn and Salubrity holds a cup from which a snake drinks. Bas reliefs, which are above, illustrate the Roman origin of the aqueducts.
Also according to romeguide, the fountain marks the terminal point of the “modern” Acqua Vergine which is one of the aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome.
In 19 B.C., supposedly with the help of a virgin, Roman technicians located a source of pure water about 8 miles from the city. This is seen on the fountain as well.
The route of the aqueduct ended up being 14 miles. The water was led into the Baths of Agrippa and served Rome for more than four hundred years.
The Roman custom of building a fountain at the endpoint of an aqueduct that brought water to Rome was revived in the fifteenth century, with the Renaissance. In 1453, Pope Nicholas V finished mending the Acqua Vergine aqueduct and built a basin, designed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti.
Trevi was refurbished in 1988 because of discoloration due to smog. It was again touched up 10 years later because the stonework was cracked and it was equipped with recirculating pumps.
The company Fendi announced in 2013 that it would sponsor a 20-month, 2.2-million-euroo restoration of the fountain which would be the most thorough one in history.
This restoration began in 2014 and was completed in 2015. It was reopened with an official ceremony. The restoration included the installation of more than 100 LED lights to improve the nighttime illumination of the fountain.
Approximately 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day and are collected at night. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s needy. In 2016, an estimated 1.4 million euros was collected from the fountain that year.
One must throw their coin(s) with their right hand over their left shoulder, according to legend.
Even if you only have 5 cents to throw into the fountain, your experience and wish will both be priceless.