Saturday 30 April 2011

The Trevi Fountain


magical, mystical, romantic?
yes, all that and more.
The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi rione in Rome, Italy. 
Standing 25.9 metres high and 19.8 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.
The famous rite of throwing a coin in the fountain has two main explanations.

First, the Ancient Romans used often to throw coins 
in fountains, rivers or lakes to make the Gods of water favor their journey and help them go back home safely.

Second, this tradition has been invented to raise funds for the maintenance of the fountain. 
 

The Trevi Fountain appears in the movies 
Three Coins in The Fountain (1954) 
and La Dolce Vita (1960) and others.
 
“Roman Holiday" - a popular movie in 1953 and where Audrey Hepburn walks past the Fountain - has the merit of showing a charming and fashionable Rome, 
making it famous all around the world. 
A lot of this magic is also due to the great actors,main characters, together with the city, of movies that will remain forever in the history of the cinema. 
As Gregory Peck once said “The months that we spent in Rome were probably the happiest in my career..."
"Three Coins in the Fountain" is a popular song which received the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1954, many singers have recorded the following including Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and Andy Williams.
Three coins in a fountain
Each one seeking happiness
Thrown by three hopeful lovers
Which one will the fountain bless

Three hearts in a fountain
Each heart longing for its home
There they lie in the fountain
Somewhere in the heart of Rome
Which one will the fountain bless
Which one will the fountain bless

Three coins in a fountain
Through the ripples how they shine
Just one wish will be granted
One heart will wear a Valentine

Make it mine, make it mine, make it mine
and the man selling the roasted chestnuts continues doing so, day after day, right beside the fountain, oblivious to all the tourists unless they come to buy some chestnuts from him!

my other blog posts on Rome are:



stay tuned for more!




1 comment:

Laura said...

It's a beautiful sight isn't it. I also heard that if you throw a coin in the fountain it is supposed to ensure you'll return sometime. I did it on my first visit and ended up going back two months later as we had such a fantastic time. I'm now waiting for trip three someday!