Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy: History, Art, and Myth

The Palazzo Poli, the backdrop to the famous Trevi Fountain

Italy is one of the most visited tourist places in the world and among all of its tourist places, there is a fountain in Rome that is considered as one of the most famous in the world. The fountain that I am referring to is the Trevi Fountain or also known as Fontana di Trevi in Italian. A journey to Rome will not complete without visiting this iconic place.

 

​Fontana di Trevi means Three Street Fountain as it stands at the junction of three streets that marks the endpoint of one of the important aqueducts in Rome, Aqua Virgo. The water from the fountain is from this aqueduct, the only aqueduct from Ancient Rome that is still functioning today. Trevi Fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. The fountain is 26 meters tall, 49 meters wide, and decorated in the Baroque style. The fountain took 30 years to complete.

 

The breathtaking view of the Trevi Fountain

Like all the other great pieces of art, Trevi Fountain has its own stories to tell. The stones used to build the fountain are the same stone used to build the Colosseum which is the Travertine stone. Each statue in the fountain symbolizes something. The statue at the center is Oceanus, the Titan God of the Earth-encircling River Oceanus. He is riding a chariot that is carried by two seahorses and led by two tritons. One horse is calm and the other is worried. The two horses symbolize the alternating character of the rivers and sea. The statue to the left of Oceanus is the goddess of Abundance that carries a horn of plenty. To the right is the goddess of Health holding a cup that a snake is drinking from. The four statues above represent the fertile earth and the bountiful gifts that rainfall provides which are fruits, crops, autumn harvest, and flowers. 

If you look closely, you will sometimes see an open window or a silhouette of people in the back of the fountain. Have you ever wondered why there are people there? The reason why is because the building where the fountain is located is actually a building where people are working. It houses the National Institute for Graphic Art. 

Numerous tourists taking photos of the Trevi Fountain

​Visiting Trevi Fountain is not complete without tossing a coin in it. According to a myth, when you throw a coin in the fountain you will return to Rome​​ if 2 coins you will fall in love with somebody you meet in the Trevi Fountain, and if 3 coins you will get married to the person you fell in love with at the Trevi Fountain. In order to achieve it, you need to throw the coin/s using your right hand over your left shoulder. Because of this myth, a lot of tourists are throwing coins in the fountain. According to statistics, more than a million Euros were taken from the fountain every year. The money they got from the fountain was donated to one of the Catholic charities, Caritas. 

 

A close up look of the Palazzo Poli

Whatever will be the reason for visiting Trevi Fountain, one thing is for sure that this marvelous work of art is definitely worthy to be seen. You can visit Trevi Fountain thru our Priceless Europe and Glimpse of Europe tour packages. 

 

What are you waiting for? Plan your Italy trip and fly with us soon.

 

Blog Contributed by: Allenie Leonoza

Photos by: Rakso Travel

 

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