The monumental Trevi Fountain, designed by architect Nicola Salvi in 1732, is a place known to visitors worldwide for its popular legend according to which by throwing a coin in these waters you will surely return to Rome.
It is the largest fountain of the city (where there are more than 2000!), and the most iconic one thanks to the grandeur of its structure, which leans against Palazzo Poli and is 20 metres wide and 26 tall. The late baroque fountain has undergone two important restorations in recent decades, but it still preserves all its glory, even when illuminated at night.
The water that gushes out of the Trevi Fountain comes from the Roman aqueduct of Aqua Virgo, which is mostly underground and terminates here. It’s one of the few ancient Roman aqueducts that have been functioning from the time of Emperor Augustus to present day, and it also supplies the Barcaccia Fountain, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, and the Fountain of the Nicchione.
The fountain is linked to the legendary tradition of the “coin toss of return”: it is said that anyone who throws a coin with their right hand over their left shoulder and into the water, while turning their back, will certainly return to Rome.
There are many scenes that link the Trevi Fountain to the cinematic world. The best-known movie which features it is certainly “La dolce vita” by Federico Fellini (1960) in which famous Swedish actress Anita Ekberg enters the fountain in a long dress and invites Marcello Mastroianni – a character with an all-Italian charm – to follow her into the water.
The Trevi Fountain is without doubt one of the unmissable symbols of Rome!
