Trevi Fountain
Quick Facts
- Trevi means Three Roads: Tre = Three, Vi = Road ...or does it? ... read on...
- The fountain is at the junction of three roads and is the terminal point of one of the ancient aqueducts.
- It is made of Travertine stone, which was quarried near Tivolo. The Colosseum is also Travertine Stone.
- Its Baroque style was designed and started by Nicola Salvi in 1732. He died before its completion and various artists became involved.
- Oceanus, god of all water, who stands in the centre was made by Pietro Bracci. Bracci also sculpted the figures for the tomb of Pope Benedict XIII (not the tomb itself) which you will see later at Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
- The Tritons, half horse-half man, were also made by Bracci.
- The fountain was finished in 1762, by Giuseppe Pannini when he was 71 years old. Pannini was best known as a painter.
- Many men were injured and a few died during the construction of the fountain.
- Roughly $4,000 per day is thrown into the fountain by tourists. The coins are collected each night and given to a charity to feed the hungry. It is illegal to take coins out of the fountain.
If you want to see a Baroque fountain, you are definitely in the right place. This is the largest Baroque fountain in the world, and some say, the most beautiful! It is located at the base of the Quirinal Hill, which is the highest of Rome’s classical hills.
Let’s start with a fun little fact about the measurements of the fountain.
The style of the fountain is Baroque because:
Some of the travertine rocks used to build the fountain were plundered from the tomb of Cecilia Metella, which is located at the three mile marker out on the Appian Way. Around 55 BCE, Cecilia was the wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus, who was considered to be the wealthiest man in Roman history having made his money through real estate speculation. She had a big tomb which apparently folks thought she didn’t need anymore, so parts of the travertine were moved to this fountain.
Other travertine stone was brought from Tivolo, which is a town about 30 km north east of Rome, where extensive deposits of travertine exist. Travertine derives its name from Tivilo.
The whiteness of the travertine rock suggests purity of the rock. If the rock was not pure it would have brown or yellow discolouration. Travertine weighs less than marble and is fairly easy to quarry. Travertine was also used in Rome in the Colosseum, the façade and colonnade of St. Peter’s Basilica and in many of the aqueducts.
The fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi, a fairly unknown architect whose first loves were mathematics and philosophy. Salvi was awarded the project even though he was the second place winner in the competition for the design. Alessandro Galilei, a relative of the famous Galileo; the astronomer, won the competition. But the Roman public was outraged and didn’t want Galilei to build it because he was from Florence, not Rome. Salvi welcomed the work and construction began in 1732. The theme of Salvi’s design was The Taming of the Sea. He died before it was completed.
The fountain was sponsored by Pope Clement XII in 1732. He introduced the first Roman state lottery and used the money collected through the lottery to fund the construction of this fountain. The winning numbers were 56, 11, 54, 18 and 6.
Let’s start with a fun little fact about the measurements of the fountain.
- The fountain stands 118 Roman palms high and 220 Roman palms wide.
- A Roman palm measures 9 inches or 222 mm.
- At the ratio of approximately 1.3836 Roman palms in a foot, the fountain would be 85.28 feet high, or 26.30 meters.
- Palms measured differently throughout European countries ranging in lengths from 7 to 9 inches.
The style of the fountain is Baroque because:
- It was built in the right time period which spanned late 16th to early 18th centuries.
- It was modified by Bernini who is clearly a Baroque kind-of-guy.
- It encompasses fantasy-like creatures and curving lines.
- The depth and detail in the marble carvings create intense light and shade.
- It contains intense flowing robes swirling against soft, smooth flesh.
- It expresses triumph.
- The sound of the rushing water enhances your emotion and pulls you deep within the action of the fountain.
Some of the travertine rocks used to build the fountain were plundered from the tomb of Cecilia Metella, which is located at the three mile marker out on the Appian Way. Around 55 BCE, Cecilia was the wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus, who was considered to be the wealthiest man in Roman history having made his money through real estate speculation. She had a big tomb which apparently folks thought she didn’t need anymore, so parts of the travertine were moved to this fountain.
Other travertine stone was brought from Tivolo, which is a town about 30 km north east of Rome, where extensive deposits of travertine exist. Travertine derives its name from Tivilo.
The whiteness of the travertine rock suggests purity of the rock. If the rock was not pure it would have brown or yellow discolouration. Travertine weighs less than marble and is fairly easy to quarry. Travertine was also used in Rome in the Colosseum, the façade and colonnade of St. Peter’s Basilica and in many of the aqueducts.
The fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi, a fairly unknown architect whose first loves were mathematics and philosophy. Salvi was awarded the project even though he was the second place winner in the competition for the design. Alessandro Galilei, a relative of the famous Galileo; the astronomer, won the competition. But the Roman public was outraged and didn’t want Galilei to build it because he was from Florence, not Rome. Salvi welcomed the work and construction began in 1732. The theme of Salvi’s design was The Taming of the Sea. He died before it was completed.
The fountain was sponsored by Pope Clement XII in 1732. He introduced the first Roman state lottery and used the money collected through the lottery to fund the construction of this fountain. The winning numbers were 56, 11, 54, 18 and 6.
Oceanus and the Tritons
Oceanus, the divine personification of the sea, is the central figure in this fountain. He was the ocean stream at the equator and derives his name from representing the unknown waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which at that time was called the Ocean Sea. He is called Oceanus in both Greek and Roman mythology.
It is a little difficult to see, but in this fountain, he is standing on a chariot, which is being pulled by two Tritons who lead horses in the fountain seas below. Triton comes to us from Greek mythology and is the mythological Greek god, messenger of the sea and the son of Poseidon. Poseidon, the father, came to us a little later than Oceanus, and ruled over the Mediterranean. In his spare time Poseidon caused earthquakes, tamed horses, and had a few son-gods.
We can tell that the two sculptures in the lower fountain are Tritons because they are half man and half merman, which is the male equivalent to mermaid. The upper body is human, and the lower body is fish-like. Each carries a conch shell, (pronounced conk) which is a dead give-away to their identity. Tritons use a conch shell as if it were a trumpet to calm the waters or raise the waves. It must be because of all the trumpeting from the fellow on the right that the waters in this fountain are encouraged to cause so much noise, which attracts thousands of tourists!
The horse on the left is depicted as wild and unruly, as is the sea when the Triton blows his conch shell to raise the waves. The horse on the right is calm as the Triton on the right has calmed the sea.
Oceanus and the Tritons were carved by Salvi’s long-time friend, Pietro Bracci.
It is a little difficult to see, but in this fountain, he is standing on a chariot, which is being pulled by two Tritons who lead horses in the fountain seas below. Triton comes to us from Greek mythology and is the mythological Greek god, messenger of the sea and the son of Poseidon. Poseidon, the father, came to us a little later than Oceanus, and ruled over the Mediterranean. In his spare time Poseidon caused earthquakes, tamed horses, and had a few son-gods.
We can tell that the two sculptures in the lower fountain are Tritons because they are half man and half merman, which is the male equivalent to mermaid. The upper body is human, and the lower body is fish-like. Each carries a conch shell, (pronounced conk) which is a dead give-away to their identity. Tritons use a conch shell as if it were a trumpet to calm the waters or raise the waves. It must be because of all the trumpeting from the fellow on the right that the waters in this fountain are encouraged to cause so much noise, which attracts thousands of tourists!
The horse on the left is depicted as wild and unruly, as is the sea when the Triton blows his conch shell to raise the waves. The horse on the right is calm as the Triton on the right has calmed the sea.
Oceanus and the Tritons were carved by Salvi’s long-time friend, Pietro Bracci.
Agrippa (Top left relief panel)
Agrippa, was the son-in-law, close friend and personal architect of Augustus Caesar. In this fountain, he stands tall and assertively in the top left relief panel as he gives directions to a kneeling man.
In the first century, Agrippa was a General in the Roman army and was also responsible for the aqueducts. Look in the background of the panel, to the right of the kneeling man’s shoulder to see a low-level relief sculpture of the aqueduct being built. The aqueduct is the Aqua Virgo that was constructed around 19 BCE.
According to legend, the aqueduct takes its name from a virgin woman that the soldiers met along the way. When they were tired and thirsty, she led them to a source of water thus, saving all of Rome from dying of thirst, as water from this source could forevermore fill the fountains of Rome. Trevi Fountain marks the ending point of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct.
Watch for Agrippa’s name etched in marble when you get to the Pantheon.
In the first century, Agrippa was a General in the Roman army and was also responsible for the aqueducts. Look in the background of the panel, to the right of the kneeling man’s shoulder to see a low-level relief sculpture of the aqueduct being built. The aqueduct is the Aqua Virgo that was constructed around 19 BCE.
According to legend, the aqueduct takes its name from a virgin woman that the soldiers met along the way. When they were tired and thirsty, she led them to a source of water thus, saving all of Rome from dying of thirst, as water from this source could forevermore fill the fountains of Rome. Trevi Fountain marks the ending point of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct.
Watch for Agrippa’s name etched in marble when you get to the Pantheon.
The Virgin Trivia (Top right relief panel)
The Roman soldiers could tell she was a virgin as soon as they met her. Her name was Trivia, and in the top right panel of the fountain, she, the virgin, stands in her full glory, lifting her skirt a little and revealing the source of fresh spring water by her feet. She has a strong face, she stands boldly and she offers direction to the commander with a firm gesture of her right hand. The lower ranked soldier submissively kneels at her feet.
The definition of the word virgin changed sometime during the medieval and early Christian times. Originally, the word virgin meant, “A woman who is free to choose her lovers, without bondage to any social rule created by man, a woman not possessed by any man, a woman who shares or owns land, a woman who is chief, ruler, warrior, lover, or any gift expressed without suppression. A female who is sexually responsible and free and hence socially her own person.” The word derives from the Latin root, virgo, meaning strength, nourish, force, and skill.
The Roman soldiers could see they were dealing with the woman who owned the land which held the source of the spring water that she offered to them. She chose to share the gift of water without suppression. Because of this, the Aqueduct built by Agrippa was named Aqua Virgo, in her honour.
Since the virgin’s name was Trivia, some historians believe that Trevi Fountain was named after her, not after the three roads that join in this spot. There are the other historians who believe the fountain was named after the neighbourhood, which was Tribium, or Trivium.
No matter what the source of the name, the soldier in the top relief panel still falls at her feet and scoops water with a cup held in his right hand into a larger urn in his left.
It is possible in the panel, to see that they are Roman soldiers since the messenger of the highest gods; the eagle, sits in the background on the right. The golden eagle on a pole was the standard carried by the legions of Roman armies. It was the legion’s prize possession as it marked a rallying point for the troops and the location of the commander. If the standard was held high in the air, the legion was winning the battle. A legion is a brigade of between 3,000 and 6,000 men. Roman legions averaged 5,000 men. When you read through the history books and discover that in Roman times, a leader lost roughly 5 legions in battle, it meant that approximately 25,000 men were killed. It doesn’t sound so bad when you hear that 5 legions were lost as most of us don’t do the math associated with the loss. Women were not allowed to become soldiers.
It is also possible to see the pilum, or javelin that the soldiers carry. A pilumwas a weapon made of a shaft of wood approximately six feet long with a piercing, extremely sharp arrow-like head of iron on the end of it. This weapon was made to penetrate an enemy’s shield and armour. Once the pilum penetrated the shield it was difficult to pull out, which made the enemy’s shield useless and the enemy an easy target for impending doom.
The definition of the word virgin changed sometime during the medieval and early Christian times. Originally, the word virgin meant, “A woman who is free to choose her lovers, without bondage to any social rule created by man, a woman not possessed by any man, a woman who shares or owns land, a woman who is chief, ruler, warrior, lover, or any gift expressed without suppression. A female who is sexually responsible and free and hence socially her own person.” The word derives from the Latin root, virgo, meaning strength, nourish, force, and skill.
The Roman soldiers could see they were dealing with the woman who owned the land which held the source of the spring water that she offered to them. She chose to share the gift of water without suppression. Because of this, the Aqueduct built by Agrippa was named Aqua Virgo, in her honour.
Since the virgin’s name was Trivia, some historians believe that Trevi Fountain was named after her, not after the three roads that join in this spot. There are the other historians who believe the fountain was named after the neighbourhood, which was Tribium, or Trivium.
No matter what the source of the name, the soldier in the top relief panel still falls at her feet and scoops water with a cup held in his right hand into a larger urn in his left.
It is possible in the panel, to see that they are Roman soldiers since the messenger of the highest gods; the eagle, sits in the background on the right. The golden eagle on a pole was the standard carried by the legions of Roman armies. It was the legion’s prize possession as it marked a rallying point for the troops and the location of the commander. If the standard was held high in the air, the legion was winning the battle. A legion is a brigade of between 3,000 and 6,000 men. Roman legions averaged 5,000 men. When you read through the history books and discover that in Roman times, a leader lost roughly 5 legions in battle, it meant that approximately 25,000 men were killed. It doesn’t sound so bad when you hear that 5 legions were lost as most of us don’t do the math associated with the loss. Women were not allowed to become soldiers.
It is also possible to see the pilum, or javelin that the soldiers carry. A pilumwas a weapon made of a shaft of wood approximately six feet long with a piercing, extremely sharp arrow-like head of iron on the end of it. This weapon was made to penetrate an enemy’s shield and armour. Once the pilum penetrated the shield it was difficult to pull out, which made the enemy’s shield useless and the enemy an easy target for impending doom.
Abundance & Health (Left and right of Oceanus)
We all prefer to live with abundance and good health. So too, did the people of Rome as we can see in the sculpture of Abundance on the left. Her gentle, satisfied face, content with the abundances of life, gracefully peers down at us as she grasps fruit from her overflowing horn of plenty and as she spills abundant amounts of water from the urn at her feet. She has so much food and water that she can barely stand it! It is extreme; it is Baroque. She wears a laurel wreath on her head, which signifies a triumphal, important person.
To the right we find a lovely depiction of Health. Her Latin name is Salus. Her Greek name is Hygenia. She also wears a laurel wreath as she is the daughter of Aesculapius, who is the god of medicine. We know she is the daughter of Aesculapius because the rod of Aesculapius; a snake entwined staff, is on her right. The snake and staff symbol are still used as a medical icon today.
To the right we find a lovely depiction of Health. Her Latin name is Salus. Her Greek name is Hygenia. She also wears a laurel wreath as she is the daughter of Aesculapius, who is the god of medicine. We know she is the daughter of Aesculapius because the rod of Aesculapius; a snake entwined staff, is on her right. The snake and staff symbol are still used as a medical icon today.
Directions: Trevi Fountain to Piazza Colonna - Distance: 300 M Time: 4 Min
2. Turn right on Via del Corso, cross Via del Sabini, look to your left across the road
