Reportedly throwing in one coin guarantees a return to Rome, two – romance, while three ensure a wedding. Despite the fact that polluting the fountain is strictly forbidden thousands of coins are deposited each day and night. The money is systematically fished out by law enforcement services and given to charitable organizations – reportedly the fountain brings and income of approximately a quarter of a million euros per year.

Fontanna di Trevi is one of the youngest Roman fountains, but perhaps it is the most beautiful and definitely the biggest – it is 50 meters wide and 26 meters high. A small fountain existed here as early as the XV century. Two centuries later popes considered expanding it, while the plans for the undertaking were prepared by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Pope Urban VIII, as legend would have it, even imposed a tax on wine to bring the idea to fruition. However, it was not until 1776, during the pontificate of Cement XII, when Niccolò Salvi finally finished the 30-year long construction. Immediately the work aroused admiration – Rome had never seen something like this, created on such a spectacular scale and with theatrical splendor. Especially due to the fact, then when walking through the narrow streets bordering the fountain one almost unexpectedly „runs into” it. In this rather narrow and cozy place, one does not expect something so monumental, spurting water and reflecting the echo of its sound. For ages throngs of vendors offering cigarettes, fruits and roasted peanuts swarmed at its edges, while Roman women would drink from its waters with the conviction that it possessed health properties.

The main figure shown with the façade of the Palace of the Dukes of Poli serving as the backdrop, is the god of seas and rivers Oceanus, standing on a chariot which appears to be a shell drawn by two sea-horses. Its author is Pietro Bracci. It was he who after the death of Niccolò Salvi, the author of the whole concept, completed his work. In the lower part we will notice two tritons attempting to tame the aforementioned sea-horses. In the niches Neptune is accompanied by two female allegories – on the left Salubrity, on the right Abundance, with which the supply of water to the city has always been associated. Above them there are reliefs – in one of them we will notice the legendary figure of a virgin (virgo), showing a spring to a thirsty Roman soldier, in the other a historical theme – Marcus Agrippa (the brother-in-law of Emperor Augustus) looking at sketches of the planned and financed by him aqueduct. For it is here where we stand, that Aqua Virgo finished – an aqueduct from the end of I century B.C., through which water from the baths built by Marcus Agrippa near the Pantheon, flowed. In the upper part on the cornice we will see four female figures symbolizing the four seasons. The whole is topped off by an inscription commemorating papal funding and the coat of arms of the Corsini family with papal insignias.