Trevi Fountain

You don’t need a map to locate the Trevi Fountain, you just need your ears. At least one block radius in every direction you can hear the roar of the water, the sound bounces off the building surfaces too. That said, I was approached yesterday by three lost tourists from Israel who asked me for directions to Trevi Fountain. First I told them that I am a tourist just like them but I was fairly certain how to get there from where we were. I hope they made it. And even if the sheer noise announces itself before your arrival it’s still a surprise when you do see it, especially because it’s in such an obscure little piazza seemingly too small to hold something so grand.

It’s definitely a Rome fan favorite. I think its charm, aside from the oddity of where it is, is that you can’t possibly take it in at a single glance, you have to stop and watch, and take your time doing so. And if you go when it’s not too crowded there are plenty of steps to sit on and do just that. I prefer it at night, although the creators could not have envisioned flood lighting. It really is the best way to see it (and less of a crowd!) daylight viewing doesn’t have the same theatricality.

The project began in 1723 and took 39 years. In contrast, the Colosseum took only 8 years to complete.

1723 was the same year the Spanish Steps, the other Baroque triumph, were started but those were finished in just 3 years. One funny bit of Trevi-trivia, the round urn on far right nearest the street level was not part of the original design, however in the many years it took Nicola Salvi to complete the fountain there was a barber shop whose patrons would often come out an criticize his work so before he finished the project he sculpted that giant urn to forever block the view of the barber shops patrons.

If you are like me when you look at the Trevi Fountain you want to know what goes on behind those windows. Are they real, are they mundane offices, or apartments?