Trevi Brunnen Rom • Fontana di Trevi (2024)

FAQs

What does the Trevi Fountain say? ›

The Trevi Fountain in Rome features several inscriptions. One of the prominent inscriptions is “AQUA VIRGO MDCLXII,” which commemorates the Aqua Virgo aqueduct's construction in 19 BC. Another inscription reads “FONS · VIRGINIS,” meaning “Fountain of the Virgin.

The Fountain's tradition

The legend states that if your throw one coin into the water, it guarantees your return to Rome, whereas two coins mean you'll return and fall in love, and three means you'll return, fall in love, and get married.

The myth of the Trevi Fountain

The myth, originating in 1954 with the movie "Three Coins in the Fountain," goes like this: If you throw one coin: you will return to Rome. If you throw two coins: you will fall in love with an attractive Italian. If you throw three coins: you will marry the person that you met.

Whether you are a tourist or a resident who finds themselves in front of this astonishing sculptural work, you are not allowed to get in the water at all. There are police in the area to ensure this doesn't happen. You are not allowed to eat and drink by the fountain and may not sit on the edge.

“Trevi” is a mashup of the Italian words “tre,” meaning “three” and “vie,” meaning “roads,” because the fountain was constructed at the intersection of Rome's then three most important thoroughfares.

The tradition of throwing coins into the fountain, derived from ancient rituals of offering gifts to gods, has been immortalized in films and literature. The act of tossing a coin with one's right hand over the left shoulder is said to ensure a return to Rome, a promise of enduring romance with the city.

The Trevi Fountain coin throwing tradition involves standing with your back to the fountain and using your right hand to toss a coin over your left shoulder. This will apparently ensure good luck and that you will return to Rome in the future.

One would expect the god at the centerpiece of the Trevi Fountain to be Neptune, of course, the god of freshwater in the Roman religion. That god, however, turns out to be the Greek sea god Oceanus; you can tell by the way he's flanked by seahorses and mermen.

The Trevi Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome. The fountain dates back to ancient Roman times, since the construction of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct in 19 B.C. that provided water to the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome.

Tourists handed €450 fines for Trevi Fountain stunt.

Two Australian tourists were fined €450 each after Rome police caught them swimming in the waters of the famed Trevi Fountain on Sunday night, Italian media reported.

Is it safe to walk to the Trevi Fountain at night? ›

As with any location, at any time, a little common sense goes a long way. But that route will be well lit and crowded with people. You'll be fine. Yes, very safe that time of the evening.

US tourists fined for Trevi Fountain stunt.

In addition to the fines, whose amount was not specified, the tourists were handed a temporary daspo banning order from returning to the Trevi Fountain area.

There is an inscription that translates: Clemens XII Pontifex Maximus decorated the Virgin Aqueduct and committed it with abundance and salubrity to the cult in the Year of the Lord 1735, 6th year of his pontificate. Top of Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy.

Day and night, throngs of people crowd around the fountain posing for photos. Legend says that if you throw a coin by the right hand over the left shoulder into the fountain, you will return to Rome. People eagerly add their own personal wishes.