The Trevi Fountain stands as the most famous Baroque fountain in the world, dominating a small square in Rome with its thundering waters. Visitors flock to throw coins into its basin to ensure their return to the Eternal City. However, this masterpiece by Nicola Salvi hides centuries of history, drama, and engineering marvels behind its travertine facade. For instance, the central figure is often mistaken for the wrong god, and a specific stone vase exists solely to spite a complaining shopkeeper. Prepare to make a wish at the jewel of Rome.
Trevi Fountain
The name “Trevi” derives from “three roads.” The fountain sits at the junction of three streets, or tre vie. Thus, the name literally describes the intersection where the water flows.
The central statue is actually Oceanus, not Neptune. Unlike Neptune, who carries a trident and rules the seas, Oceanus is a Titan who represents the divine personification of all water. Therefore, he commands the scene without a weapon.
Nicola Salvi built a massive stone vase to block a barber’s view. A local barber constantly criticized the construction of the fountain. Consequently, the architect placed the “Ace of Cups” sculpture specifically to block the man’s shop from seeing the monument.
The fountain collects over one million euros in coins every year. Municipal workers sweep the basin daily to gather the change. Amazingly, this money funds a supermarket for poeople in need run by the Catholic charity Caritas.
A vandal turned the water blood red in 2007. An activist dumped a bucket of red dye into the fountain to protest the cost of the Rome Film Festival. The water remained red for hours, creating a surreal and terrifying image.
It stands at the end of an ancient Roman aqueduct. The Aqua Virgo, built in 19 BC, still supplies the water today. Thus, the fountain serves as the terminal point for one of the oldest working water systems in the world.
The two horses represent the changing moods of the sea. One horse is calm and obedient, while the other is wild and restless. Therefore, they symbolize how the ocean can be peaceful one moment and dangerous the next.
Pope Urban VIII originally financed the project with a wine tax. Before Salvi’s design, earlier attempts to build the fountain were paid for by taxing local wine. Consequently, Romans complained that the Pope was trading their wine for water.
Legend says drinking from the “Fountain of Lovers” ensures eternal fidelity. Located on the right side of the main monument, this small spout was used by couples. Girls would give their fiancés a glass of water before they left for war, then smash the glass to seal their loyalty.
The fountain was draped in black when Marcello Mastroianni died. The actor made the fountain famous globally in the movie La Dolce Vita. To honor him, the city turned off the water and covered the statues in black cloth in 1996.
Pope Clement XII financed the final construction with a lottery. To pay for the expensive travertine stone, the Vatican reintroduced the game of Lotto. Thus, gambling money paid for one of the holiest city’s greatest landmarks.
It is made from the same stone as the Colosseum. The structure uses massive blocks of Travertine stone from Tivoli. Unfortunately, many men died moving these giant rocks during the thirty-year construction process.
An ancient Roman apartment complex lies beneath the fountain. The Vicus Caprarius, or “City of Water,” allows visitors to walk underground. You can actually see the ancient pipes of the aqueduct that still feed the fountain above.
The United States produced a duplicate of the fountain for a movie. For the film Three Coins in the Fountain, the studio built a replica in a Hollywood backlot. However, the original remains the only one with the true magic of Rome.
Finally, stealing coins from the fountain was once a common job. For decades, a man named “D’Artagnan” fished coins out every morning before the police arrived. Eventually, the city passed strict laws to stop him and secure the money for charity.
