The famous Trevi Fountain in Rome has reopened after 17 months covered in scaffolding. Though it was one of 1,352 fountains in 4th century Rome, the Fontana di Trevi has always stood out from the rest. In a 2.2-million-dollar restoration project funded by luxury fashion house Fendi, the local company agreed to pay for the crumbling fountain's crucial repair and maintenance in exchange for the right to affix a branded plaque next to the tourist magnet for four years. The fountain now appears brighter and whiter and there will be no danger of pieces cracking off as they once did.
The Eternal City is grateful to have water back in one of the world's most famous fountains and visitors are expected to start throwing their coins in right away (wonder where all the money that WAS in there went? - another blog topic)!
The Trevi Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome. The fountain dates back to ancient Roman times, since the construction of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct in 19 B.C. that provided water to the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome. The fountain was built at the endpoint of the aqueduct, at the junction of three roads. These three streets (tre vie) give the Trevi Fountain its name, the Three Street Fountain.
Interesting fact: Pope Clement approved the financing using a lotto game to pay for it. That’s right, the money earned from the reintroduction of the lotto in Rome financed the Trevi Fountain!
Typically, visitors sling a coin into the fountain over their left shoulder (while their backs are turned to it) with hopes that they will return to Rome and find love. I can say that this came true for yours truly who threw her coins in while an art student studying Italian Renaissance art in the ’70s and returned almost 20 years later to fall in love with a Roman sculptor!
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