TREVI FOUNTAIN

Description

Essentials about the Trevi Fountain in brief

Anyone visiting Rome must have seen the Trevi Fountain. Whether the largest fountain in Rome, at around 26 meters high and 50 meters wide, is also the most beautiful, everyone must judge for themselves. In any case, it is by far the most popular. Hordes of tourists besiege the fountain day after day and flood the water with coins in order to secure luck, a return to Rome, love and marriage to a Roman or a Roman woman (depending on how many coins you throw into the fountain).

The history of the Trevi Fountain

In 19 BC, the consul Marcus Agrippa had the Aqua Virgo aqueduct built next to the Pantheon to supply the thermal baths he had built. This aqueduct, the only one in continuous operation since antiquity, carries water from the Sabine Mountains to Rome over a distance of 26 kilometers. By the 12th century at the latest, three outlets with which the aqueduct ended fed fountain troughs on what is now Via del Corso. The name Rome for the district and the fountain could refer to these three springs or to the intersection of three streets (Italian: tre vie) nearby.

In 1453, after restoration works, Pope Nicholas V ordered the aqueduct to have a new terminus. Leon Battista Alberti built a façade with an inscription and the papal coat of arms, from which water poured from three spouts into a simple rectangular fountain basin. Pope Pius IV ordered the fundamental restoration of the aqueduct from the spring to the city, which was carried out between 1561 and 1570.

In 1640, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, probably the most important architect and builder of the Italian Baroque, began the construction of a more elaborate fountain in the present square, commissioned by Pope Urban VIII. However, due to lack of money, only the square was enlarged and a large, shallow fountain basin was executed.

After several unsuccessful attempts to rebuild the fountain, Pope Clement XII announced an architectural competition in which many renowned architects of the time participated. Surprisingly, Clement awarded the contract to the unknown Nicola Salvi, who until then had hardly built any buildings. He began work on the fountain in 1732, with the full length of its façade adjoining the Palazzo Poli. The Count of Poli protested against the construction because this new palace facade did not take into account in any way the architecture of his buildings. However, the protest was rejected.

In 1735 Pope Clement XII inaugurated the new fountain, although the works were still in progress. Even after his death in 1740, work continued haltingly under Pope Benedict XIV. The long construction period was not only due to recurring financing problems, but also to Salvi’s extremely meticulous working methods. For example, he had some parts of the rocky landscape redone up to ten times until he was satisfied with them. From 1744, his deteriorating health also made progress difficult. Salvi died in 1751, and Giuseppe Pannini completed his plans until they were finished in 1762.

The architecture of the Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain consists of a palace façade with a triumphal arch in front of it. In front of it, sea creatures cavort on a rocky landscape, over which the water pours into a large, shallow basin. The material used is travertine from Tivoli and marble from Carrara. Salvi’s theme was the forces of nature that threaten the work of man. On the right side, the façade already seems to be crumbling due to the protruding rocks. The dramatic effect is further enhanced by the sound of the sea created by the flowing water, which can already be heard in the side alleys. Salvi experimented for a long time with which stone surface he could achieve this effect despite the relatively small amount of water. Every day, about 80 million liters of water flow through the fountain. Incidentally, it is reused to supply several other fountains in Rome, including the Four Streams Fountain in Piazza Navona and the Fontana della Barcaccia in Piazza di Spagna.

Arranged on the rocks are all sorts of mythical creatures of the sea, such as sea horses and tritons, charging toward the viewer. Above them, in the center, stands the stately sea god Oceanus already in the central niche of the triumphal arch. He rides in a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two hippocamps. Each sea horse is led by a triton. One of the horses is calm and obedient, the other stubborn. Thus they represent the fickle mood of the sea.

The triumphal arch represents a reinterpretation of the Arch of Constantine. In the niches to the right and left of Oceanus are figures symbolizing health and fertility. Above each is a relief. On the right, a virgin soldier shows Agrippa the spring in the Sabine Mountains. On the left Agrippa orders the construction of the aqueduct. On the architrave there are four figures representing as allegories, from right to left, the lush meadows, the gifts of fall, the fertility of the fields and the abundance of fruits. The inscriptions pay homage to the popes involved in the construction. The fountain is crowned with the coat of arms of Clement XII.

The effect of the fountain is heightened by the rising level of Piazza Trevi, so that as one walks around it, one experiences the scenery from constantly changing angles. The counterpoint is the church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio, opposite, with its unusual facade with many closely spaced columns.

Swimming in the Trevi Fountain

By the way, if you think you can have fun in the cool waters of the Trevi Fountain like Swedish beauty Anita Ekberg in Fedrico Fellini’s 1959 cult film La dolce vita, you’d better not. Because of the massive influx of tourists, today police officers watch over the well-behavior of visitors to the fountain. Even those who try to dip their big toe into the water are reprimanded by shrill whistles.

The coins in the Trevi Fountain

And last but not least, of course, the information about the many coins in the well should not be missing. A popular belief says that it brings luck to throw coins over the shoulder into the well. One coin would lead to a safe return to Rome, two coins would make the person throwing them fall in love with a Roman or a Roman woman, three coins would lead to marriage with the corresponding person.

Originally, there was the custom of taking a sip from the fountain to return to Rome. It is essential to remember that the coin is tossed with the right hand over the left shoulder (or with the left hand over the right shoulder) and that one’s back is turned to the fountain when tossing the coin. You are not allowed to point over your shoulder while tossing – fortunately, the fountain is so big that you can’t actually miss.

The coins are regularly fished out of the water by servants of the city of Rome. Every year, more than one million euros are collected in this way. Until March 2018, the money was donated to Caritas. After that, it will go to the Rome city treasury, just as the money from all the other Roman fountains has done in the past.