One of Rome’s most
iconic landmarks, the Trevi
Fountain, was drained last month in preparation for the current restoration
project it’s undergoing. The stunning 18th-century monument has now been
cordoned off and a temporary steel walkway erected over the basin so that
tourists can still view the famous façade while it is undergoing renovation.
Inaugurated last
week by Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, the current temporary walkway can
accommodate up to 130 people at a time, which means visitors could be waiting
for quite a while for a front-row view of the Trevi over the next several weeks
while maintenance work is underway.
According to a statement
from the Capitoline Superintendency acquired by The
Art Newspaper, “The maintenance work will focus on the stone
surfaces of the lower part of the monument, in particular the area between the
edge of the basin and the access steps, which will be thoroughly cleaned. In
addition, the grouting of the joints in various areas of the fountain will be
repaired to preserve its structural and aesthetic integrity.”
The €300,000
conservation project is part of a larger €1.2 million initiative, which also
includes the restoration of four other Roman fountains, such as the Fontana
delle Tartarughe in Piazza Mattei. The Trevi last received an extensive
cleaning in 2014, and the city is giving it a fresh facelift in preparation for
2025’s Jubilee—a holy year of celebrations for the Vatican that’s expected to
draw millions from around the world.
Unfortunately, the
new configuration around the Trevi is making the time-honored tradition of
tossing coins into the fountain for good luck both difficult and disappointing
for visitors. Local lore has it that tossing one coin into the fountain over
your shoulder will guarantee your return to the Eternal City, tossing two coins
ensures that you’ll fall in love with an Italian and tossing three foretells that
you’ll marry them. All coins collected are donated to the Caritas charity,
which provides meals for the needy.
As the Trevi is
now bone-dry, throwing currency into the basin is not permitted and will result
in a fine of €50, according to the Associated
Press. Instead, tourists are having to make due with a little makeshift tub
of water that’s been installed in front of the fountain specifically for the
purpose, which some locals and visitors are calling the "municipal
swimming pool".
The project is
expected to be completed by the end of the year, at which time new crowd-control
policies may be put into place. The Capitoline Superintendency said, “During
the works, a different way of observing the fountain will be tested, through
the installation of a walkway that will allow visitors, in limited groups, to
admire the monument from an unusual and close-up perspective. The walkway will
offer the opportunity to acquire new data on attendance, [which is] useful for
solving the problems of overcrowding of the monument.”
The Associated
Press reported that Rome’s city officials intend to battle overcrowding at
the site by blocking off the area around the fountain. The plan that’s under
consideration proposes charging €2 for access to the open-air monument, which
has heretofore always been free to visit. Once admitted, visitors would have 30
minutes to take their photos and toss their coins.
Completed in 1762
and considered a Baroque masterpiece, the Trevi adorns the rear façade of the
Palazzo Poli, and is populated with many statues made of white Carrara marble.
It has been featured in several motion pictures, perhaps most famously in Federico
Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960).
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