Trevi fountain what is it made of

His successor, Giuseppe Pannini , inaugurated the fountain in It is a fountain in Baroque style that represents Neptune, the god of the sea, in the act of taming the waters. It is leaning against the facade of the Palazzo Poli. Initially it seemed destined to be built on the other side of the square, but by order and desire of Pope Urban VIII it was built in front of the Palazzo.

In the center of the fountain, the god Oceanus is portrayed on a chariot pulled by winged horses, led by Tritons. One horse is agitated, the other placid, symbolizing the two aspects of the sea, sometimes calm, sometimes stormy.

Immediately above the niches, you can clearly distinguish two panels that tell the story of the construction of the Aqueduct of the Virgin: on one side Agrippa stands together with the soldiers, and on the other side the Virgin points to the source of pure water, in reference to the ancient legend. But the opulent decoration does not end here. It is the quantity of details that makes the fountain spectacular. An onlooker is able to distinguish as many as 30 species of plants bunches of grapes, evergreen plants, canes, figs, ivy, and many others and numerous animals such as snails and lizards!

Another small curiosity that may be of interest: have you ever noticed that out-of-place travertine vase on the external parapet of the fountain? The Romans nicknamed it, for its shape, "ace of cups" in reference to the symbol on playing cards , and it seems to have been placed there by Nicola Salvi himself to block the sight of a local barber and who loved to criticize the architects work continuously!

At almost 20 meters wide and 26 meters high, the Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome. It is not surprising that the fountain uses in excess of 2,, cubic feet of water every single day. Thankfully, the water is recycled unlike in the old days when it simply ended up going to waste.

Although the water in the fountain is kept crystal clean, it did briefly have a different color back in An activist dumped a red substance into the fountain that turned the water a bright red. Luckily the water was drained and replaced fast enough and no damage was caused to the monument. Even though its enormously grand, Trevi Fountain can sometimes be difficult to find.

It remains hidden among the buildings of the small Trevi Square. The fountain is located at the junction of three roads. Due to its location, the fountain received a rather literal name Fontana de Trevi which translates to Three Street Fountain.

Today, the fountain is simply known as Trevi Fountain, both among locals and international visitors alike. Actually, the name Trevi derives from "Tre Vie" Three Ways and refers to the point where the three roads that lead into the square meet.

But how did the tradition of throwing a coin into the fountain, which guarantees a safe return to Rome, come about? Obviously we have to go back in time, when it was customary to throw small gifts into the sacred fountains to satisfy the gods, like wishing wells! Legend has it that whoever tosses a coin from behind their back into the Trevi Fountain makes sure they will return to Rome. To do it right you need to hold the coin with your right hand, stand with your back to the fountain and toss the coin by passing it over your left shoulder.

If you flip two coins instead of one, you will find love, and if you flip three, you assure marriage or divorce, if you are already married…. Many have testified that it is true! Have you tried? Something that is a scientific fact, though, is that this custom produces revenues of almost one million euros a year.

On occasion, the fountain collects up to 3, euros in a single day! And what happens to the coins? You'll be happy to know that, since , the money collected in the Trevi Fountain has been donated to Caritas Internationalis and other charities. The upper levels of the fountain depict this scene. He felt that the fountain lacked impact and desired a greater monument with more dramatic flair. The famous sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was assigned to the project but the plan did not go ahead since the Pope died before it could begin.

A hundred years later the project was restarted and the architect chosen for the fountain was from a competition. The winner, Alessandro Galilei, ended up being disqualified, as there was an uproar in the capital for Galilei being Florentine.

The fountain took 30 years to complete and was finished in Unfortunately, Salvi died in and Giuseppe Pannini stepped in to complete the work after his passing. The design revolved around three architectural elements, both the frontage and sea reef are made of travertine stone, and the statues are made of carrara marble. In the centre is a statue of God Oceanus, standing on a chariot pulled by two seahorses.

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