Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain stands in the Trevi district of Rome, a grand 18th-century Baroque fountain designed by Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. It marks the end of the Acqua Vergine aqueduct, revived from an ancient Roman source first discovered in 19 BC. The fountain’s name comes from *trivium*, meaning the junction of three roads where it was built. Its massive structure, made from Travertine stone quarried near Tivoli, rises 26.3 metres high and spans 49.15 metres wide. The backdrop is the Palazzo Poli, its façade reshaped to frame the fountain’s dramatic scene. The fountain’s history stretches back to ancient Rome, when the Aqua Virgo supplied water to the city for centuries. After damage during the Gothic wars, it was restored in the Middle Ages and again in the 12th century. Pope Clement XII held a competition in 1730, awarding the commission to Nicola Salvi despite an earlier Florentine winner. Salvi’s design incorporated the fountain into the Palazzo Poli, hiding an unsightly barber’s sign behind a sculpted vase. Four sculptors completed the work after his death, including Pietro Bracci’s central statue of Oceanus. Visitors find a theatrical scene of water cascading over rocks, statues and bas-reliefs carved into the palace façade. The central figure, Oceanus, rides a shell chariot pulled by Tritons and hippocamps, symbolising the taming of waters. Flanking niches hold statues of Abundance and Salubrity, while above, reliefs depict the aqueduct’s Roman origins. Coins thrown into the fountain—about 3,000 euros’ worth daily—support charity, a tradition popularised by the film *Three Coins in the Fountain*. At night, over a hundred LED lights illuminate the marble and water, turning the square into a glowing spectacle.