When travelling to Italy one landmark nobody wants to miss out on visiting is the biggest
fountain of Rome going by the name of Trevi Fountain.
Even if you haven’t had the chance to admire this sky-blue water-filled glorious
fountain you are bound to have heard of its long
history, traditions, myths and beautiful architecture before; if not, no need to worry.
We will take you on a journey and tell you all you
need to know about this fascinating piece of art.
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And now, let’s start...
How did the fountain get its name?
There are numerous fountains all over Italy, yet Trevi still stands out.
However, it was not always the beautiful landmark that it is today;
the one that is unmistakably first on every must-see list.
Before becoming Trevi Fountain it was known as ‘Aqua Virgo’, which
translates to ‘the Virgin’s Water’.
It was an aqueduct that acted as one of the main sources
of clean water in Rome in 19 BC.
Legend has it that a young lady found this natural water
and led thirsty soldiers to it.
This is when the emperor Caesar Augustus decided to create
the aqueduct, a water supply, for all of Rome.
This is the only aqueduct from the Ancient Roman times that has not yet been destroyed
and can still fully function nowadays.
In 537, ‘Aqua Virgo’ was the only aqueduct that
survived the attack of the Germanic tribes, the Ostrogoths, who destroyed nearly every
source of water but fortunately not the Virgin Waters, making it the one and only source
of clean drinking water for the Romans!
After this, it went through many restorations but after 400 years of functioning it was
completely ruined before it was restored again in the 15th century during which time pope
Nicholas V ensured to keep a fountain at the end of the aqueduct; yet it was doomed
unnecessary by Pope Urban VIII.
Later on, Bernin, a Baroque style Italian architect, was the
first to be offered the job to build the Trevi Fountain, but in spite of his enthusiasm and
innovative ideas the plan fell through due to lack of funds.
However, his style depicted on other works around Italy show that his ideas
and technique have inspired the following architect to design the fountain of Trevi.
When the Trevi Fountain was created?
Let’s go back to the eighteenth century when this beautiful fountain was built as
we know it today.
It was the year of 1762 when an Italian architect Nicola Salvi entered a competition
held by Pope Clement XII choosing the best architect to build the Trevi fountain.
Salvi’s idea was liked by many, so he proceeded to build
it.
Unfortunately, he passed away with bronchial problems at the age of 53 and never
got to see the finished version of his creation.
However, the project was not canceled.
An Italian architect, Giuseppe Pannini, stepped in to take charge and finalized the
fountain as we know it today.
Regardless, it took eleven years after the death of Nicola Salvi
to see water flow through the fountain; it was
officially opened in 1743, taking three whole decades to complete.
Why is it made from the same material as the Colosseum?
It is known that the fountain is built using a semi-marble stone called travertine, the
same material that the Colosseum was built with
and many many other architectural landmarks in
the city.
There are supposedly large amounts of this porous stone available near Rome
which is why the Romans have used it so much over the years.
However, this marble-white color is not the only shade Trevi has been
seen in.
In honor of the great Italian actor, Marcello Mastroianni’s death in 1996, the
fountain was turned off and covered with a black
drape as a tribute to the amazing work he produced and the iconic scene in the movie
La Dolce Vita, where he takes a dip in the pool
of Trevi with his co-star.
Another time when Trevi did not have clear blue water, was in
the year of 2017 when a vandal poured bright red dye in the pool, causing tourists to gasp
and panic, as the water turned completely red,
potentially damaging the fountain forever.
But fortunately, the water was drained and the
pool was scrubbed and cleaned quickly enough to save it!
Another little fun fact is that the Trevi Fountain has been used as a fashion show location
by Fendi, the Italian luxury fashion house.
They organised a truly sensational show for their
90th anniversary in 2016.
Now, you might be wondering who was Trevi, or what was Trevi?
Basically, how did this fountain get the name it is known for today?
Well, it might come as a surprise that the meaning behind it came directly from its location.
When you visit Trevi, you will find that it is
located at a junction of three streets - De 'Crocicchi Street, Poli Street and Delle Muratte
Street.
Trivium is Latin for intersection (specifically of three roads), and Tre Vie is Italian for
three streets, therefore the name of this fountain - Trevi.
Tradition of coin
If you have visited the Trevi Fountain before, that means you have also stood with your
back against it, rummaged through your pockets to find a coin and stood there with your
eyes closed, holding on tight to our money with our right hand of course, wishing to
be back in Rome some time soon and then you toss it
with all you’ve got over your left shoulder!
You might also want to throw another one just
for the fun of it or to ensure your wish of coming
back to Rome will definitely come true.
But throwing a second coin is thought to mean you
will find love, but specifically true Italian love with a native.
And if you get even more excited and want to throw a third coin, you might
even have to start planning your wedding, because yes; you will be marrying that said
Italian lover.
We have all been there, but why do we do it?
Where does this tradition come from?
Who was the first person to come up with this
fun idea?
You would think it was an Italian or a native Roman but no, it was a German!
Yes, a German man called Wolfgang Helbig, who
was an archeologist who had a permanent job at the German Archaeological Institute in
Rome.
During his Italian adventures he married Nadejda Schakowskoy, a Russian princess
who would then introduce him to a higher-class society with whom he would attend and hold
many gatherings.
This is exactly where he started tossing coins in the Trevi fountain, as a
nod to the religious traditions of people offering their sacrifices to their Gods who
lived in streams.
Friends of Wolfgang spread the word and started joining in on the ritual of tossing
coins.
Soon, the whole of Europe would join in too.
You might be wondering, what happens to the coins all these tourists throw in the water?
Is it automatically public property?
Do people steal it?
Yes, people did use to steal it but after an incident in 2011 it has become a crime
to fish out coins out of the Trevi fountain.
A man going by the name of d’Artagnan had spent
34 whole years stealing coins from the pool of
the fountain until he was caught on camera.
Therefore, Italy enforced the new law that stealing coins from the Trevi pool is illegal.
Then where does the money go?
How do the coins not pile up?
To give you a little perspective, there are approximately 3000 Euros worth
of coins tossed in the pool every day!
That means annually there is more than a million Euros chucked at Italy, mainly by travelers.
The coins get taken out of the pool at the end of
each day, they are individually cleaned and counted before being given to charity.
There was a word going round that Virginia Raggi,
Mayor of Rome, was planning on keeping the money and using it to improve infrastructure
in Italy, but soon after these accusations, she
made it clear that all profits would go towards a charity called Caritas Roma, that helped
the homeless and the poor.
So, next time you’re tossing a coin in the Trevi pool you can be sure
that you are helping the ones in need with shelter and food.
Which are the names and meanings of the 3 main statues?
Now onto the architecture and story Trevi tells.
The fountain consists of three main statues: Oceanus (commonly mistaken for Neptune), Abundance
and Health.
Let’s start from the left; when facing the fountain, we see Abundance,
a lady holding a basket full of fruit in her right hand.
In the centre, you can see Oceanus, the God of all waters (Neptune - God of salt
waters).
He is depicted standing on a carriage which is being carried by horses guided by
tritons, sea Gods.
It is clear that one of the horses is calm and steady, whilst the other is in
a completely different state, maybe anxious and infuriated.
This is thought to reflect the moods and the duality of water.
How it can be incredibly quiet and still but also have the
capability to be the strongest element.
And finally, health is represented by the statue on the
right; a depiction of a woman wearing a wreath-crown allowing a snake to drink some water
out of her cup.
All over, the story depicted through these three statues and other, slightly
smaller statues that are installed above, such as Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, the story
of the Virgin, abundance of fruit, wheat, the fall
harvest and flowers, is that it celebrates water and
its health and abundance.
If you haven’t planned your holidays yet or can’t travel to Italy right now, we recommend
watching one or all of these movies where the Trevi Fountain appears.
They are all classics that will help you travel through the streets
of sunny Rome from the comfort of your own home.
Trevi appears in the Roman Holiday, a 1953 movie starring Audrey Hepburn and
Gregory Peck.
They travel around Rome, visiting landmarks such as the Spanish Steps,
Mouth of Verita, and many more.
You might also want to watch the 1950s romantic comedy
Three Coins in the Fountain to find out more about the myths and traditions of tossing
a coin in the pool.
Or, maybe the classic Italian Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita (The Sweet
Life).
We know the clear blue water on a hot summer's day is incredibly tempting but we
recommend not to recreate the famous scene from Fellini’s film, where Marcello Mastroianni
and Anita Ekberg cool down in the pool of the fountain because you will get fined.
That’s all the facts and myths for you about the elegant Trevi Fountain.
If you haven’t visited it before, we hope you get the chance to toss
a coin or two, or three and ensure many Roman adventures for yourself and your native
Italian spouse.
Let us know what you think down below!
Also, make sure to check out our other videos to learn more about Italy’s culture and
history.
Thank you for watching!