Five things you may not know about the Trevi Fountain in Rome

The Trevi Fountain is the largest of Rome's famous fountains, built on the façade of Palazzo Poli by architect Nicola Salvi. Begun in 1732, the famous fountain was inaugurated more than 30 years later, in 1762. Over the centuries it became an obligatory stop for all tourists and others passing through the capital. Its popularity grew to such an extent that, today, it is not only probably the most famous fountain in the world, but also one of the most visited tourist attractions. Famous for the tradition of throwing coins into the fountain as a symbol of good luck, there are various stories about how this custom began. Also widely used by filmmakers, video games and music clips, there are many curious things and facts revolving around this undisputed symbol of Rome, to be placed practically on the same level as the Colosseum, the Imperial Forum and the other wonders of Rome.

There are various hypotheses about the name. The first is that the name 'Trevi' came from 'Trebium', the place of origin near the Tiburtina. The second hypothesis says that Trevi comes from 'trivio', the crossroads of the three roads Collatina, Prenestina and Tiburtina, from which water flows. The third hypothesis refers to Iuturna, the nymph invoked during droughts and who had a temple called 'Trevi'.

According to tradition, throwing a coin into the Trevi fountain, with one's back turned towards the Palazzo Poli, would guarantee a future happy return to Rome. The introduction of the coin toss into the Trevi fountain is attributed to the German archaeologist Wolfgang Helbig who stayed in Rome for a long time between the 19th and 20th century. Throwing two coins would guarantee love with a Roman person, while three coins would guarantee marriage with the same person.

The Municipality of Rome has decided, since 2006, that all the coins that are collected from the fountain (which, on balance, amount to a nest egg of around €3,000 per day) are to be given to the capital's Caritas (i.e. a Christian association that cares for the poor and needy). However, this does not stop criminals from trying to retrieve the coins at night, in an unauthorised manner, which is illegal and punishable by law.

In a second tradition, when water was still being drawn from the fountain for drinking (for centuries people drank water from the fountain, as it was considered better than all others as it was not very calcareous. Today it is only used for irrigation and other fountains), women would make men who were leaving, perhaps for war or a long journey, drink a glass of it. Glasses that they would then break as a sign of good luck and fidelity.

Obviously, with the birth of Neo-realism and the explosion of Italian cinema, the Trevi fountain became one of the most filmed locations in Rome and perhaps in Western cinematography. One of the world-famous masterpieces of this film season is Federico Fellini's 1960 film 'La dolce vita', in which the beautiful Anita Ekberg dives into the fountain, inviting Marcello Mastroianni to do the same.