What is special about the Trevi Fountain?
The Trevi Fountain is one of Rome’s greatest attractions, standing 26 meters tall, and 49 meters wide, it is an unmissable sight in the city.
Famous for its intricate artwork decorated in the Baroque style, the Trevi Fountain has plenty of history and detail attached to it. Being one of the best structures remaining that showcase the skills in the ancient Roman’s craftsmanship.
An ancient water source, it has recently gone through an intensive restoration and cleaning by the Fendi luxury fashion house. One of the best pieces of evidence that showcase the skills in the ancient Roman’s craftsmanship. Being aeons old, and being the most celebrated fountains on earth, this iconic landmark is well worth the visit when in Rome. Appearing in a number of movies, artworks, and books, travellers flock to this beloved 18th-century Baroque masterpiece for a chance to see the astonishing detail and sheer beauty it possesses.
How the Trevi Fountain came to be
The Trevi Fountains structure was built on top of an already existing ancient water source, which was built during the Ancient Roman times in 19BC. The structure was set in a central location, marked at the joint of the three main roads. The name ‘Trevi’ comes from this location, which translates to ‘three-street fountain’. As the city progressed, the fountain remained, until in 1629, when Pope Urban VIII decided the ancient fountain did not hold enough grandeur and ordered a remodel to commence. He commissioned the famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini to design the fountain, who created many sketches of his ideas before sadly, the project was put on hold due to Pope Urban VIII’s passing. It wasn’t until a hundred years later that the project started up again, with architect Nicola Salvi assigned to design the fountain. Salvi used Bernini’s original sketches to create the finishing piece, which took over 30 years to complete, with the final product of the Trevi Fountain finally complete in 1762.
The Fountain’s Artwork
What makes this fountain so special is the stunning artwork featured within the structure. The fountain and its sculptures are made in pure white travertine stone, the same material used to create the Colosseum. The fountain’s theme is ‘Taming of the Waters,’ with each sculpture symbolising important aspects to the city. The central structure is the God Oceanus, who can be seen standing on a chariot that is glided by seahorses. Beside Oceanus are other important statues, each representing certain factors such as abundance and health.
The Fountain’s tradition
No matter how little you know about this fountain, we can guess you’ll know about the coin tradition. Being one of the most popular tourist experiences in all of Rome. The ritual involves visitors to hold a coin, turn away from the fountain, and toss the coin over their shoulder and into the fountain. The legend states that if your throw one coin into the water, it guarantees your return to Rome, whereas two coins mean you’ll return and fall in love, and three means you’ll return, fall in love, and get married. No matter what you are hoping for when you toss the coin, it truly is a worthwhile tourist experience to try out when travelling about Rome!
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