The Trevi Fountain is one of the largest monumental Baroque fountains in Rome ,Italy.
The decision to build a fountain in this place was made by Pope Urban VIII Barberini. He commissioned the most famous and respected architect in Rome, Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, to design the fountain. But the Pope died, and the fountain was forgotten for a century.
It was built from 1732 to 1762 according to a design by Nicola Salvi in late Baroque style, in transition to the classicist style, following the Palazzo Poli.
The Trevi Fountain is an example of the perpetuation of the Baroque style in eighteenth-century Rome, through its mixture of effects, combines architecture, sculpture and sound at the same time, its monumentality – it is structured by four colossal order columns and its reference to the fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona by Bernini.
Much of the fountain is made of travertine, extracted not far from Tivoli in Lazio, about 35 km east of Rome. It is surrounded by rock blocks, which connect it inextricably with the square and the Palazzo Poli and create a dramatic effect.
The main version says that the fountain is called Trevi, as it is located at the junction of three roads – Via Poli, Via delle Muratte, Via della Stamperia. In Italian, the name of the fountain sounds like Fontana di Trevi, which literally means “the fountain of three streets” (tre vie).
The Trevi Fountain, an architectural masterpiece of the Baroque era, is included in the TOP-10 sights of Rome, and therefore in the mandatory program of every traveler.
As one of the most popular destinations in Rome, the Trevi Fountain can often be seen on postcards, photographs ,posters and videos. The fountain played its most striking role in the film La Dolce Vita, directed by Federico Fellini. The icon of Italian cinema, Marcello Mastroianni, and the blonded blonde Anita Ekberg, played a hot scene in the icy waters of January’s di Trevi. Ιt is now considered a must-see destination for every traveler .
Access : Coordinates: 41.900833, 12.483056 / The Trevi Fountain is located in Piazza di Trevi in at the historic center of Rome./ To get to the fountain, you need to get to Piazza di Trevi: for this you need to walk from Via del Corso along Via delle Muratte.
Highlights :
- Lucky coins : According to a legend, the person who tosses a coin into the fountain will surely return to Rome. The misinterpretation of the movie Three Coins in the Fountain, where three different people toss a coin, has led to a new urban legend that tossing two coins will bring love to a beautiful Roman woman, and tossing three coins brings marriage or divorce. A popular version is that three coins should be tossed with the left hand over the right shoulder.
About 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain every day. The money is used to finance a supermarket for the poor in Rome. - How many coins should you throw into the Trevi Fountain ? : 1 coin – return to Rome
– 2 coins – fall in love – 3 coins – to get married , if you are already married… then, as it says the Italians joke, the third coin is to get a divorce !!! - According to another belief, lovers who want to never part with each other should drink water from the “lovers’ tubes” located on the right side of the fountain.
- Legends : According to legend, the source of drinking water for Aqua Virgo was pointed out to the ancient Roman builders by a virgin about 13 km from the city – this scene is depicted on the facade of the fountain. In the end, the path of the aqueduct was diverted and it is 22 km long.
- The main theme of the Trevi Fountain is water, an invaluable resource on which the life and prosperity of man and nature depend. The central figure of the entire composition is the Ocean, one of the Titans and the deity of the world’s greatest river, washing the earth and the sea, giving rise to rivers, springs and sea currents
– In the side niches to the left of the Ocean there is a statue depicting Abundance, and to the right is a statue-symbol of Health, holding a bowl in its hands, which is wrapped around a snake. Above the Ocean there are allegorical statues with flowers, a sheaf of wheat and fruits – everything that depends on good and clean water.
The bas-reliefs on the statues of Abundance and Health tell the wonderful story of finding Aqua Virgo ( «Virgin Water”) – an ancient Roman aqueduct supplying the Trevi Fountain and other Roman fountains. - Restoration : The fountain was renovated in 1998; the stone masonry was cleaned and recirculating pumps and oxidizers were added.
- On June 20, 2003 in Berlin, Anita Ekberg threw a first coin into the fountain basin to restart the fountain on Hausvogteiplatz and in reference to her famous film scene.
- In 1996, when the Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni died, the fountain was turned off and draped in black cloth to honor his memory.
- In which films can you see the Trevi Fountain? : In Fellini’s La Dolce Vita , Anita Ekberg takes a nightly bath in the fountain with Marcello Mastroianni. This is one of the most famous scenes in film history, which has contributed to the popularity of the fountain with tourists. / In the film Tototruffa 62, the Italian comedian Toto tries to sell the Trevi Fountain to a tourist / The fountain also appears in scenes from numerous films such as A Heart and a Crown and in the music video for Thank You For Loving Me by Bon Jovi. In an opening scene of the martial arts film Death Claw Strikes Again from 1972, actor Bruce Lee drives past the Trevi Fountain in a white cabriolet.
- The toy manufacturer Lego created the Trevi Fountain alongside other architectural icons such as the Villa Savoye, the Seattle Space Needle or the Brandenburg Gate as a 731-piece model as part of its “Architecture” series.
Activities : sightseeing, it is now considered a must-see destination for tourists. / photo opportunities / sightseeing tour / enjoying the view of Rome’s most beautiful fountain.
Go next : The nearest attractions to the fountain: Pantheon, Piazza Venezia, Piazza di Spagna / The Trevi Fountain is also the facade of the Palazzo Poli / the church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio located opposite the Trevi fountain.
