No study abroad bucket list, or trip to Rome, is complete without a visit to the Trevi Fountain. As the legend is told, if you throw one coin into the fountain you are ensured a return to Rome. Throw a second coin in the fountain to find love, and throw a third coin for marriage. You may know the legend, but here’s a few more fun facts you may not have known.
1. The fountain spills nearly 2,824,800 cubic feet of water everyday.
Located in the Quirinale district of Rome, and taking nearly 30 years to build, the Trevi Fountain is Italy’s largest Baroque fountain. It stands 85 feet high and 65 feet across, which means that this fountain holds A LOT of water. Luckily, the Trevi Fountain now recycles the water used each day.
2. The fountain is charitable.
With hundreds of visitors each day, nearly 3,000 euros in coins are accumulated by the end of the night. The coins are then collected and donated to a local charity, Caritas. Caritas uses the money to support a supermarket program in which the needy of Rome get money towards their groceries. Not only are you crossing something off your bucket list when visiting the gorgeous Trevi Fountain, you are helping the local people in need.
3. It’s illegal to take coins out of the fountain.
For years, Roman thieves would collect coins at night to gain a quick profit. But in an effort to keep the fountain as charitable as possible, it is a crime to seal the coins from the Trevi Fountain.
4. The Trevi fountain is made from the same material as the Colosseum.
Like the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain is built from Travertine stone. The fountain boasts a gorgeous white color because of the stone, but it has also been black and red on a few rare occasions. In the honor of Marcello Mastroianni’s death, the fountain was turned off and draped with black cloth in 1996. In 2007 the water’s of the fountain were dyed red in an act of protest. 10 years later, the same Italian activist pulled the same act as a protest against Rome’s corruption and filth. Luckily, the red dye was quickly drained and did not stain the stone.
5. The fountain underwent a 2.2m restoration.
Sponsored by the Rome-based fashion house, Fendi, the Trevi Fountain went through a massive 17 month reconstruction. Reopening in 2015, the fountain is more grand and vibrant as ever. But Fendi’s work in Rome didn’t end at the fountain, Fendi is sponsoring a group of restorations called “Fendi for Fountains” in an effort to preserve parts of Rome’s culture and pursue their mission of “creative heritage”.
Ready to take your turn tossing in a coin? Join us on a Rome day trip before the semester ends!
