Everything You Need to Know About the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Everything You Need to Know About the Trevi Fountain in Rome

You don’t need to have been to Rome to well aware about the existence of this iconic global landmark.

The Trevi Fountain features in just about every single movie set in, or filmed in, Rome. It is one of the most identifiable structures in the world, on par with creations like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

by Court Prather – Unsplash

It is inevitable that you will stroll past this historic fountain at some point during your exploration of Rome’s city center. A guided walking tour can take you right to it, or you can leave your Trevi Fountain encounter purely to chance. Either way, be sure you have some loose change on you at all times just incase.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Opening Hours: 24 Hours

ADDRESS: Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

METRO STATION: Repubblica

What is the Trevi Fountain in Rome

The Trevi Fountain is the water feature of the Trevi district in Rome’s city center. It is a massive and baroque inspired construction; the largest fountain in the entire city.

The fountain is ancient, and has been on the map as both an unmissable attraction and bucket list item for travelers to Rome since it became a global holiday destination. Today, it is swarmed with tourists virtually morning until night, with each of them wanting their moment to toss a lucky coin backwards into the water.

by Jeff Ackley – Unsplash

The mythology maintains that coins should be thrown with the right hand over the left shoulder. This induces the magic of the fountains and it’s waters.

Even without partaking in the coin toss, the fountain is a fascinating sight to visit in Rome purely for people watching and perhaps to snap a photograph or two. The fountain is in the center of the Piazza di Trevi, a square that is lined with Italian eateries and souvenir shops.

History of the Trevi Fountain in Rome

As I said, this fountain is ancient. The first known appearance of it dates back to 19BC when Roman technicians supposedly first discovered the natural water sources 13km away from the city, spurring the move to build aqueducts to filter it to the center.

The location of the Trevi Fountain was the first point of arrival for this water. It was the most modern aqueduct point that the city had ever known. The duct fed into a small fountain, nothing like what is present here today.

It was only many, many centuries later in 1629 that Pope Urban VIII relooked at the Roman city landmarks and deemed the sight of this aqueduct insufficient in terms of aesthetics, and demanded that plans be drawn up to revisit this as a potential icon of Rome. Unfortunately, the Pope died shortly hereafter and the reworking plans went along with him.

by Andrés Nieto Porras – Wikimedia Commons

It was later during the Baroque era in Italy when the city held many architectural competitions that sought to expand buildings, fountains and other landmarks in the Roman city center. A competition to rework the Trevi Fountain into something spectacular was held in 1730. It was won by Nicola Salvi, and construction began in 1730.

By the time Salvi passed away in 1751 the fountain was only half finished. Four different local sculptors were brought in after this and the fountain was finally completed in 1762.

The Trevi Fountain has since seen three periods of restoration after discoloration appeared on parts of the sculptures. The first was in 1988, the second ten years later in 1999, and the third happened very recently in 2013.

by Ragusaibla – Wikimedia commons

In 2013, Italian fashion house Fendi announced that they would like to sponsor a 20 month long restoration of the entire fountain, totaling 2,2million euros of work.

It is the most immaculate restoration the fountain has seen, and will carry this landmark through many more centuries in Rome. It is also the first time the Trevi Fountain has had adequate lighting installed in order to offer illumination through the night.

Interesting Facts About the Trevi Fountain in Rome

The thousands of visitors to the fountain each day leave behind massive amounts of money; roughly 3000 euros per day to be exact.

It is illegal to attempt to collect any money from the fountain once it has hit the water. Attempts have been made by locals and tourists alike, and always results in heavy fines or legal action. This rule applies to money that enters the fountain; accidentally dropping a valuable like a watch or cellphone into the water is a different story and can be sorted out by contacting relevant authorities.

by Alessandro Porpiglia – Unsplash

The money in the fountain is collected on a regular basis and totals millions of euros per year. It is used to fun charities as well as subsidized supermarkets for Rome’s homeless and those in need.

In 1973, Italy added the Trevi Fountain to a range of their postage stamps, officially marking it as one of the most signifiant attractions in the country. These stamps are still in circulation today.

When to Visit the Trevi Fountain in Rome

A good guided walking tour through Rome will take you past the Trevi Fountain and give you a breakdown of the history. I do, however, love visiting this spot alone when I can, as going with a group is overwhelming in an already crowded place.

The fountain is open 24 hours a day since it is the center of one of Rome’s public squares. It is illuminated by night which means you can view it at any time.

If you want to be there with the crowds, then any time from 8:30am through until well after sunset would prove to be the busiest.

by Christopher Czermak – Unsplash

If you, like me, want to be one on one with the fountain and prefer as little people as possible, then you’re going to have to come in the dead of night, or just before daybreak in the early hours of the morning. Even then, there is no guarantee of ever being alone at this landmark, it’s simply too famous. But you’ll definitely have more space to breathe and be able to view the fountain with virtually no obstructions.

Go on the right evening and you may even get to watch them draining the water of all the coins…