Trevi Fountain
Sunday, September 2nd, 2007History of Rome’s Trevi Fountain
The Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), at the Piazza di Trevi, is Rome’s biggest and most famous fountain, especially since Anita Ekberg took a bath in there in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”. It is about 26 meters tall and 22 wide. It was built by the architect Nicola Salvi and ordered by Pope Clemens XII.
The name “Trevi” derives from the fact that thee used to be three roads (“tre vie”) leading to the square.
In the days of the Roman Empire it was customary to construct monuments in spots where wells erupted. At the top on the right side of the monument you can see the virgin who is supposed to have pointed out this well to a soldier.
The monument’s theme is Neptune, the God of the Sea, on a shell-shaped chariot pulled towards the ocean by winged horses and tritons. One horse is calm, the other seems wild, thereby symbolizing two aspects of the sea. In the two alcoves to the left and right are personifications of Abundance and Health.
Legend of the fountain
In the old days it was thought that if you drank the water from the fountain you would eventually return to Rome. Nowadays if you were to drink the water from the fountain you would probably not even make it home again, so the legend got adapted. Stand with your back to the fountain, close your eyes and throw a coin over your left shoulder. Now you can come back to Rome. And stay in a room at the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome, or the Little Italy B&B of course.
Directions from Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome
Take the metro from Rome Termini to Barberini (two stops) and then walk along the Via del Tritone till you see the signs for the Fontana di Trevi. We suggest that you go there at night, since the fountain is even more beautiful when it is all lit up.
Where to go from the fountain
Where better to conclude your evening than at the Spanish Steps, only a short walk from the Trevi Fountain. Walk through the Via del Corso and the Via Condotti, Rome’s famous shopping streets and sit down at the steps for a short rest before going for dinner or returning home to the hostel.