THE FONTANA DI TREVI
The fountain is situated at the intersection of three streets (tre vie), marking the point of the Aqua Virgo (Italian: Acqua Vergine), one of the ancient aqueducts that supplied water to Rome. Roman technicians located a source of pure water just 22 km from the city
In 1453, Pope Nicholas V finished repairing the Aqua Virgo aqueduct and the fountain he built at the end was a simple font, designed by the humanist architect Leon Battista Alberti, to herald the arrival of water.
In 1625, Pope Urban VIII asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to outline possible renovations, but the project was abandoned after his death. Bernini's lasting contribution was to relocate the fountain across the square so that it faced the Quirinal Palace. In 1730, Pope Clement XII organized a contest on the fountain in which Nicola Salvi lost, despite which he received the commission. Work began in 1732 and ended in 1762, long after the death of Pope Clement, when Pietro Bracci's Ocean was placed in the central niche. The statues of Abundance and Health, in the two side niches, were sculpted by Filippo della Valle.
The fountain was restored in 1998: the stone was cleaned and closed-circuit pumps and oxidizers were installed. On June 9, 2012, several pieces of stucco fell off the capitals and friezes on the façade. Despite the small size of the landslides of 8 cm long and 8 cm wide, the incident concerned the city authorities. The fountain was emptied and inspection tasks were carried out to check the condition of the monument, which lasted two months, until August 2012, when the fountain was reopened. Many fissures were discovered in the stone, as well as fungus, mold and a black patina due to age and contamination. Then the mayor of Rome announced that a global restoration was going to be necessary. An emergency intervention was carried out at a cost of 320,000 euros, but the public administration could not afford the estimated 2,500,000 euros that the complete restoration would cost and the council began to look for private sponsors willing to finance the works. Ultimately it was the Roman fashion house Fendi - with its creative director, Karl Lagerfeld - which fully financed the restoration. The works were inaugurated on June 30, 2014. 5 The restoration works were planned in such a way that they did not prevent the observation of the monument by tourists. The fountain was surrounded by plexiglass panels that allowed the progress of the work to be observed, and a walkway was installed a few meters from the statues that tourists could access. A small pond was also installed where the tradition of throwing coins into the water of the fountain could be continued.