Rome’s Trevi Fountain, Fontana di Trevi
The Trevi Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome
“The fountain dates back to ancient Roman times, since the construction of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct in 19 B.C. that provided water to the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome. It’s said that the Aqua Virgo, or Virgin Waters, is named in honor of a young Roman girl who led thirsty soldiers to the source of the spring to drink.
The fountain was built at the end point of the aqueduct, at the junction of three roads. These three streets (tre vie) give the Trevi Fountain its name, the Three Street Fountain.” [read more…]
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What does it all mean?
“There are three main statues, and they’ll all considered to be works of art. The center one is a statue by Metro Bracci called Oceanus, representing the Roman sea god Neptune, who can be seen standing on a chariot that is pulled by sea horses – not a bad way to travel! The sea horses also are led by tritons, which are basically a Roman version of a mermaid.
There are also statues of abundance of health. The one representing abundance holds a horn that’s filled with fruits and other produce, which is used to represent the idea of plenty.
The statue of health wears a laurel wreath, which is considered to be a plant belonging to Apollo. This is where we get a little deeper into Roman mythology – Apollo is considered to be the father of Aesculapius, who is thought to be the god of medicine. Basically, in this case laurel wreath = health. The health statue is also seen letting a snake drink water from her cup.” [read more…]
The Trevi Fountain is massive
85 feet tall (25.9m) and almost 65 feet wide (19.8m). There are several sources where water pumps out and gathers in a lovely pool in front. How much water? The fountain gushes about 2,824,800 cubic feet (79,989,42L) of recycled water every day! So, it is eco friendly, but you shouldn’t drink it.
Trevi is a major attraction
Yes, there are always crowds, but it depends on the time of year. During the summer it can get outrageous! I went in October and there were crowds at times, but not as many at other times. In the first pic I had the bad luck of arriving along with tons of other people. There was even a car parked in front (why is there a car??).
But a couple of hours later, there was a reasonable amount of people. My biggest annoyance? Selfie takers who take ages and ages, and ages, and ages, and….you get the idea. Whatever you do, take a deep breath and tough it. When you are able to snap a few pics, you’ll be happy you did.
Don’t jump in the Trevi Fountain
Resist the urge to get up close and personal with this gorgeous (and functional) work of art. You shouldn’t jump into the Trevi Fountain to reenact the famous scene from Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
If you do, take note. “A 26-year-old tourist from New York was fined €450 by Rome police after being caught splashing around in the waters of the Trevi Fountain on the morning of 26 May, 2019.” [read more…]
Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, but do it in the right way
The second legend was the inspiration behind the film ” Three Coins in the Trevi Fountain“. This legend claims that you should throw three coins into the fountain. The first coin guarantees your return to Rome, the second will ensure a new romance, and the third will ensure marriage.” [read more…]
What do they do with all of the coins?
All of that money goes to a good cause. The municipality of Rome collects the coins from the fountain every day for two reasons – to keep them all from being stolen and to help the city’s poor.
“Each day the gushing torrents of the Trevi Fountain are silenced for one hour while city workers sweep the coins from the fountain. Since 2006, the year I tossed my own first coin into the Trevi Fountain, the Roman Catholic charity Caritas has been sorting and cleaning the daily loot from the fountain.
Caritas runs food and social programs for the needy and oppressed in 200 countries and territories worldwide. Somewhere around €8000 is collected three times a week (on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am – 9am when the fountain is closed to the public for cleaning and coin removal) from the Trevi Fountain (about $1.26 million annually) and distributes it among the needy. Caritas even opened a low-cost supermarket in Rome in 2008 for the needy.” [read more…]
“In 2001, mayor Francesco Rutelli halted any private taking of coins from the Trevi. The collected money given to the charity goes toward supporting soup kitchens, shelters, and any other efforts that might have a positive impact on Rome’s poverty-stricken communities.” [read more…]
Related Links
• 9 Things You Didn’t Know About The Trevi Fountain
• All About the Trevi Fountain: Facts and Visitor’s Guide to the Most Famous Fountain in Rome, Italy
• Who gets all those coins, anyway?
• What Happens to that Coin You Tossed in the Trevi Fountain?