Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain, or Fontana di Trevi in Italian, is Italy’s largest and most famous Baroque fountain, standing 85 feet high and 65 feet across. Baroque art, a popular European art form between 1600 and 1750, is characterized by highly ornate and decorative art and architecture.

The Trevi Fountain that stands in Trevi Square today was designed by Roman architect Nicola Salvi. Building began in 1732 and concluded three decades later. Before his death in 1751, Salvi chose young artist Giuseppe Pannini as his successor. The fountain that stands today has work expressed in the original sketches from Bernini, Salvi and Pannini.

Coins are purportedly meant to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder. This was the theme of 1954's Three Coins in the Fountain and the Academy Award-winning song by that name which introduced the picture. An estimated 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy; however, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain.

The Trevi Fountain has appeared in famous films, securing itself a place in popular culture. It can be seen in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and the 1953 Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn movie “Roman Holiday.”