The coin legend: what the tradition actually says
The ritual of throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain is known worldwide, but it is often cited inaccurately. The tradition specifies:
- One coin: guarantees a return to Rome
- Two coins: falling in love with a Roman
- Three coins: imminent marriage
The correct gesture is: throw with the right hand, standing with your back to the fountain, so the coin flies over the left shoulder towards the fountain. Throwing with the left hand, or facing the fountain, is not the traditional gesture.
How much is collected every year
About 3,000 coins a day end up in the Trevi basin. Over a year approximately €1.5 million in coins of various currencies accumulate — euros, dollars, pounds, yuan and much more. Since 2007 the collection has been managed by Caritas Rome, which uses the money for programmes to assist the city's poor. Collection takes place at night, periodically.
Anita Ekberg and the water temperature
The famous scene from La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960) in which Anita Ekberg enters the fountain was filmed in December 1958 and January 1959. Night filming was necessary to isolate the piazza from passers-by.
Little-known detail: the water was ice-cold — the Acqua Vergine maintains a constant temperature of around 12–14°C even in summer. Anita Ekberg spent several hours in the water over multiple nights of filming. The director had the water slightly warmed with equipment, but conditions remained uncomfortable.
Fifty years later, in 2009, Ekberg returned to the fountain for the 50th anniversary of the film. She said she was 78 and did not feel up to entering the water again. But she added that the memory of that night had stayed with her forever.
Nicola Salvi and the barber's window
When Nicola Salvi designed the fountain in 1732, a barber named Agrippa (coincidence with the name of the aqueduct's builder) opened a shop next to the building site and began publicly criticising the project to his customers. Salvi decided to respond through architecture: he had a large decorative barrier (a vase, or urn) built directly in front of the barber's window, partially blocking it. The structure is still visible today, on the left side of the fountain, and is known colloquially as "l'Asso di Coppe" (an informal Roman nickname).
The fountain was not designed by Salvi alone
Nicola Salvi won the 1730 competition organised by Clement XII, but died in 1751 without seeing the fountain completed. The work was finished by Giuseppe Pannini, who completed the upper section and some decorations. The fountain was inaugurated on 22 May 1762 by Clement XIII.
There is also another lesser-known version: Gian Lorenzo Bernini had drawn up a design for the fountain as early as 1640, commissioned by Urban VIII, but the project was never realised because the pope died. Salvi was partly inspired by Bernini's drawings.
The basin has "low-pressure" water
Contrary to its imposing appearance, the water in the Trevi Fountain arrives with relatively low pressure. The Aqua Virgo flows almost horizontally from its source (about 14 km east of Rome) without major changes in elevation — this limits the available pressure. The columns of water you see are not the result of high pressure but of the shape of the outlet mouths, which Salvi designed to maximise the scenic effect with the available water.
The colour of the water
The water in the basin appears a characteristic blue-green. This effect is not due to dyes: it is the result of the combination of the clarity of the water (Acqua Vergine is particularly pure), the limited depth of the basin (about 80 cm at most), and the white travertine base, which reflects light in a particular way.
The fountain during the Fendi restoration (2015–2016)
During the restoration funded by Fendi (€2.18 million), the basin was completely drained for the first time in decades. When the water receded, the bottom of the basin was revealed: millions of layered coins, sediment, algae, and — unexpectedly — objects left by visitors over the years: glasses, wallets, mobile phones, shoes, jewellery.
The restoration also removed the limestone crust that had accumulated on the sculptures, restoring the white marble to its original brightness. The before and after was strikingly visible in photographs of the work.
The central statue is not Neptune
One of the most common confusions: the central statue of the fountain represents Oceanus (commonly called Neptune), but according to the more precise interpretation of art historians it is an allegorical figure of the Ocean, not the Greek god Poseidon/Roman Neptune. The identification as Oceanus is consistent with the overall iconographic programme of the fountain, which celebrates the dominion of water in its most universal sense.
The name Trevi
The fountain takes its name from the district, the Rione Trevi, which in turn derives from the Latin trivium — the point where three roads meet. The fountain's location coincides with the ancient Roman intersection from which three roads led out into the Ager Romanus.
Visiting the Trevi Fountain
The fountain is in a ZTL zone.
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Frequently asked questions
How many coins are collected at the Trevi Fountain each year? About €1.5 million per year. Since 2007 the proceeds go to Caritas Rome.
Did Anita Ekberg really enter the water? Yes. The scene was filmed in December 1958/January 1959. The water was cold (12–14°C) and filming lasted several nights.
Who finished building the fountain after Salvi's death? Giuseppe Pannini, who completed the work in 1762. The fountain was inaugurated by Clement XIII on 22 May 1762.
Article no. 99 — TIER S — MON-05 Trevi Fountain Type: HISTORICAL/PRACTICAL Words: ~1,000