Monuments of Rome - Trevi Fountain

Rome's most artistic city, present in the common imagination thanks to Federico Fellini's film 'La dolce vita' in which Anita Ekberg bathes dressed in her basin

Fountain showing the Virgin Water brought to Rome in 19 BC by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa to supply the baths he built at the Pantheon . The water was named Virgin in homage to a young girl who would point out the spring to thirsty soldiers. In 1453 Pope Nicholas V had a fountain built by Giovan Battista Alberti in the locality known as 'dello Trejo' and over the years it became Trevi. The fountain was an important moment for the city, which was returning to spring water after having used water from the Tiber for centuries. Three centuries later Pope Clement XII decided to replace it and held a competition inviting the best artists of his time to participate. The aim was to adorn Rome with a grandiose work and provide it with more drinking water. From the sketches, that of the Roman NicolಠSalvi was chosen. The construction of the fountain lasted 23 years and covered the entire side of the Palazzo Poli .

Trevi Fountain has in the middle a triumphal arch surmounted by an attic on which stands the coat of arms of Clement XII . In the centre of a rocky base stands the statue of 'Ocean' on a shell chariot drawn by two sea horses driven by tritons. The horses represent the agitated and calm sea. The two statues on either side of Oceano represent Salubrity and Prosperity, a clear allusion to the beneficial effects of pure water.
The bas-reliefs above recall Agrippa's approval of the aqueduct project and the legend of the virgin pointing out the spring to the Romans. In the basin representing the sea, tourists throw a coin to ensure their return to Rome. Another romantic ritual is linked to the fountain on the left side called the 'lovers' fountain'. According to legend, couples who drink at this fountain are privileged to remain faithful forever.