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The Trevi Fountain is an extravaganza, taking up much of the
square that contains it. The fountain is rimmed with steps
that take you down to its edge, a feature that helps focus even more
of your attention on this complex and beautiful fountain.
There has been a fountain in the square since early Roman times when
water was supplied to the city's fountains from the Aqua Virgo
(aqueduct) commissioned by Agrippa to bring water to the baths he
was building near the Pantheon. The present fountain was
created in the 18th century. Some of the design is based on
earlier plans by Bernini, but the majority of the work was
accomplished by Nicoḷ Salvi, who worked on the fountain for 20 years
before his death. The fountain was completed ten year later in
1762.
The fountain is embedded into the side of the Poli Palace and has
many details that bear inspection (see the detailed photograph
below). At the very top is the coat
of arms of Pope Clement XII, one of the fountain's patrons.
The coat of arms is topped with a replica of his miter (hat) and
Keys of St. Peter. Below is an inscription honoring Pope Clement's role in building the fountain and below that is another
commemorating the role of Benedict XIV. A final commemoration to
Pope Clement is seen just above the central arch, celebrating the
fountains unveiling in 1762.
(See the photo below for the detail described in the following
paragraphs.)
The four statues atop the columns celebrate the role of water in
promoting life. The relief to the left of the central arch is
Agrippa commissioning the building of the Aqua Virga that originally
brought water to this area. The relief to the right of the
arch is the virgin (naturally) who showed Agrippa's soldiers the
location of the source of the spring that would eventually supply
the aqueduct. The Trevi Fountain still uses water from this
source.
In the alcove to the left of the arch is a statue representing
fertility and in the right alcove is another depicting good health.
The main installation is the majestic Neptune/Oceanus and a tribute
to the god's power. The horses play two roles. One steed is
headstrong and wrestles with his triton (a minor sea-god), while the
other is docile, causing its triton no difficulty. Each horse
is supposed to represent the calm/violent nature that can be display
by bodies of water.
While it is easy to spend your time looking at the statues, the
reef, upon which everything is posed, is a incredible work of art.
The rocks and the chiseled vegetation are carefully positioned to
add realism and majesty to the fountain and are considered Salvi's
greatest work. Be sure to spend some time observing the
details of this popular fountain.
Of course, many people are attracted to the Trevi fountain because of its
fame and the fact that it is a good place to slurp some gelato while
cooling down from all the walking around Rome. Most are here
however, to toss in a coin (remember, over your shoulder with your
back to
the fountain) in hopes that the magic will come true and they will
return to Rome.
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