Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain also called Fontana di Trevi is the most famous and probably the most beautiful fountain in Rome , Italy . Standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city, and it is one of the most famous fountains in the world.
Trevi Fountain - Rome , Italy
Aqua Virgo
The Trevi fountain is at the ending part of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC. It brings water all the way from the Salone Springs (approx 20km from Rome) and supplies the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water.
Construction and restoration
In 1732, Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain at the Trevi Square. A previous undertaking to build the fountain after a design by Bernini was halted a century earlier.
Trevi Fountain - Rome , Italy
Construction of the monumental baroque fountain was finally completed in 1762.
The fountain was refurbished in 1998. The stonework was scrubbed and the fountain provided with new pumps.
Symbolism
The central figure of the fountain, in front of a large niche, is Neptune, god of the sea. He is riding a chariot in the shape of a shell, pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a Triton. One of the horses is calm and obedient, the other one restive. They symbolize the fluctuating moods of the sea.
On the left hand side of Neptune is a statue representing Abundance .
Above the sculptures are bas-reliefs, one of them shows Agrippa, the general who built the aqueduct that carries water to the fountain.
Trevi’s legend
The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea. Legend tells us that if you throw a coin into the fountain you will surely return to Rome . You should toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain in order to return safely to Italy’s capital .
Trevi Fountain - Night View
