Trevi Fountain

Rome, Italy

The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world. The fountain has appeared in several notable films, including Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

The fountain at the junction of three roads marks the terminal point of the 'modern' Acqua Vergine, the revived Aqua Virgo, one of the aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. In 19 BC, supposedly with the help of a virgin, Roman technicians located a source of pure water some 13 km from the city (This scene is presented on the present fountain's façade). However, the eventual indirect route of the aqueduct made its length some 22 km. This Aqua Virgo led the water into the Baths of Agrippa. It served Rome for more than 400 years.

In 1629 Pope Urban VIII, finding the earlier fountain insufficiently dramatic, asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to sketch possible renovations, but the project was abandoned when the pope died. Though Bernini's project was never constructed, there are many Bernini touches in the fountain as it exists today.

Competitions had become the rage during the Baroque era to design buildings, fountains and even the Spanish Steps. In 1730 Pope Clement XII organized a contest in which Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei, but due to the outcry in Rome over the fact that a Florentine won, Salvi was awarded the commission anyway. Work began in 1732 and the fountain was completed in 1762, long after Salvi's death, when Pietro Bracci's Oceanus (god of all water) was set in the central niche.

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Address

Piazza di Trevi 98, Rome, Italy
See all sites in Rome

Details

Founded: 1732-1762
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More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.trevifountain.net
www.aviewoncities.com

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Colosseum (1,4 km)
Sistine Chapel (2,4 km)
Arch of Constantine (1,4 km)
St. Peter's Basilica (2,5 km)
Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli (0,8 km)
Altare della Patria (0,7 km)
St. Peter's Square (2,2 km)
Pantheon (0,6 km)
Vatican Historical Museum (2,5 km)


Villa d'Este (26,8 km)

User Reviews

Alessandra Porciani (15 months ago)
This is one of the most beautiful fountains I have ever seen. The area is extremely busy with pedestrian traffic so squeeze your way through the crowd and get your photos, then take time to sit and enjoy the architecture. The area is also filled with shops and restaurants, it is an excellent place to walk around and spend some time soaking in the beautiful area.
Paul Hemmelhemstead (15 months ago)
Definitely worth a visit when you're in Rome. It looks magical during the day but it looked a lot better at night time. Whatever time you go, be aware that it will be chock full of people. I'm not a big fan of crowds but it is worth waiting to approach the fountain. Good luck getting a photo without other people in it though.
David Smith (15 months ago)
The Trevi Fountain was an incredible stop and a must see while in Rome. I would recommend seeing the fountain St night but I would assume it's a magical experience at any time. There were large crowds there but everyone was very polite and as long as you are patient you will be able to approach the fountain. There were law enforcement officers on scene to ensure security at all times.
Squidgy H (15 months ago)
Worth a visit if you're in Rome, a little crowded if I'm honest but there are some lovely restaurants and shops around. Would definitely recommend visiting at night too, adds a little more ambience! Around the corner there's a magnum ice cream bar where you can also make your own magnum/design with names etc.
Arnav Singh (16 months ago)
Beautiful place during the day and night. During my visit, mid February, it was very crowded. It's a belief of throwing a coin for good luck and as a promise to return to Rome. There are lots of place to buy ice-cream, which can add to the experience as you contemplate the view. If you are looking to take pictures, you will have a chance but you have to be quick.
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Cochem Castle

The original Cochem Castle, perched prominently on a hill above the Moselle River, served to collect tolls from passing ships. Modern research dates its origins to around 1100. Before its destruction by the French in 1689, the castle had a long and fascinating history. It changed hands numerous times and, like most castles, also changed its form over the centuries.

In 1151 King Konrad III ended a dispute over who should inherit Cochem Castle by laying siege to it and taking possession of it himself. That same year it became an official Imperial Castle (Reichsburg) subject to imperial authority. In 1282 it was Habsburg King Rudolf’s turn, when he conquered the Reichsburg Cochem and took it over. But just 12 years later, in 1294, the newest owner, King Adolf of Nassau pawned the castle, the town of Cochem and the surrounding region in order to finance his coronation. Adolf’s successor, Albrecht I, was unable to redeem the pledge and was forced to grant the castle to the archbishop in nearby Trier and the Electorate of Trier, which then administered the Reichsburg continuously, except for a brief interruption when Trier’s Archbishop Balduin of Luxembourg had to pawn the castle to a countess. But he got it back a year later.

The Electorate of Trier and its nobility became wealthy and powerful in large part due to the income from Cochem Castle and the rights to shipping tolls on the Moselle. Not until 1419 did the castle and its tolls come under the administration of civil bailiffs (Amtsmänner). While under the control of the bishops and electors in Trier from the 14th to the 16th century, the castle was expanded several times.

In 1688 the French invaded the Rhine and Moselle regions of the Palatinate, which included Cochem and its castle. French troops conquered the Reichsburg and then laid waste not only to the castle but also to Cochem and most of the other surrounding towns in a scorched-earth campaign. Between that time and the Congress of Vienna, the Palatinate and Cochem went back and forth between France and Prussia. In 1815 the western Palatinate and Cochem finally became part of Prussia once and for all.

Louis Jacques Ravené (1823-1879) did not live to see the completion of his renovated castle, but it was completed by his son Louis Auguste Ravené (1866-1944). Louis Auguste was only two years old when construction work at the old ruins above Cochem began in 1868, but most of the new castle took shape from 1874 to 1877, based on designs by Berlin architects. After the death of his father in 1879, Louis Auguste supervised the final stages of construction, mostly involving work on the castle’s interior. The castle was finally completed in 1890. Louis Auguste, like his father, a lover of art, filled the castle with an extensive art collection, most of which was lost during the Second World War.

In 1942, during the Nazi years, Ravené was forced to sell the family castle to the Prussian Ministry of Justice, which turned it into a law school run by the Nazi government. Following the end of the war, the castle became the property of the new state of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate). In 1978 the city of Cochem bought the castle for 664,000 marks.

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