Trevi Fountain

One of the most important late-Baroque works of art in Rome, the Trevi Fountain is a true wander, a jewel of marble and water, as well as a symbolic representation of the main element of nature, water; the architectural elements themselves seem to be sculptured by the force of this vital liquid. It is the monumental fountain that marks the terminal point of the stream course of an ancient aqueduct built in 19 B.C. by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and called Aqua Virgo. It derived the name from the maiden who helped the Roman soldiers to find the water spring in Salone, near Rome. The imposing fountain, built by Nicola Salvi, the winner of a context announced by Pope Clement XII Corsini in 1730, and officially inaugurated in 1762, is composed by a triumphal roman arch in the middle, surmounted by an attic where the Corsini family coat of arm and the dedicatory inscription are. The origin of the roman aqueduct is commemorated by two marble relieves, one showing Agrippa approving the project, the other the young lady showing the soldier the spring. In the middle, Oceanus, God of the Sea, rises above the rocks on a seashell chariot drawn by two sea horses ant Tritons; on the side, two statues representing Abundance and Health, two of the main characteristic of the water. The Trevi Fountain was immortalised by the unforgettable scene from the movie La Dolce Vita by Federico Fellino, where Anita Ekberg steps seductively into the fountain and invite the paparazzo Marcello Mastroianni to join her. According to the legend, if you want to return to Rome, you have to throw a coin over your shoulder into the water.