Trevi Fountain Live Cam

The Trevi Fountain is a famous Baroque-style fountain located in the Trevi district of Rome, Italy. It is considered one of the most iconic landmarks of Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

The fountain was designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi in the 18th century and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. It is located at the junction of three streets (tre vie in Italian), from which it takes its name. The fountain is situated at the end of the Aqua Virgo, an ancient aqueduct that still supplies water to the fountain.

The Trevi Fountain is made of travertine stone and features a central sculpture of Oceanus, the Greek god of the sea, riding a shell-shaped chariot pulled by two sea horses and two tritons. The fountain also includes numerous other sculptures and reliefs, including depictions of Abundance and Health.

According to tradition, throwing a coin into the fountain with one's right hand over their left shoulder ensures a return to Rome. It is estimated that over €3,000 are thrown into the fountain every day, and the money is collected and donated to Caritas, a Catholic charity organization that helps the needy in Rome. The Trevi Fountain has been featured in numerous films and other forms of popular culture, and it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Rome.

It is one of the most famous and recognizable symbols of Rome in the world and one of the most beautiful fountains of the Italian capital, an impressive masterpiece of late Baroque architecture, sculpture and engineering (1735) by Nicola Salvi, Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) and its magnificent backdrop Poli Palace (Palazzo Poli) dominate Trevi Square (Piazza Trevi).

The construction of the Aqueduct Virgin (Aqua Virgo, Acquedotto Vergine), still in use since the Emperor Augustus' period, has strongly influenced its history, it seems that its name derives from the Latin word "trivium" (Treio), meaning a crossing of three roads, the fountain marks the exact terminal point of the aqueduct; the ancient three spouts pouring water into three separate tanks were replaced in 1453 with a larger rectangular basin by Leon Battista Alberti upon the desire of Pope Nicholas V; the aqueduct was later restored in obedience to Pope Pius V's wishes in 1570 and in 1640 taken again in consideration upon request from Pope Urban VIII by Gian Lorenzo Bernini whose assignment was to embellish the fountain and the square with a more imposing style.

This in order to glorify the close Barberini Palace (Palazzo Barberini); the square was partly enlarged and the fountain resited from the other side of the square to face the Quirinal, unfortunately after a few years the project was abandoned due to pope's death and the lack of funds; since then the fountain underwent numerous but unsuccessful interventions until the Dukes of Poli, the new Pope Innocent XIII's family, decided to expand their property by including a palace in Trevi Square with a fountain lying on its façade, but only in 1731 the direction has finally changed, Pope Clement XII set up a competition to find an artist able to rebuild the fountain, the winner was Nicola Salvi who proposed to work on the basis of some original Bernini’s sketches, four years later the fountain was partly completed; after a number of different vicissitudes and sculptors only under the Pontificate of Pope Clement XIII and the work of Giuseppe Pannini the fountain was finally completed and inaugurated in 1762.

Trevi Fountain is really impressive, the taming and the power of the waters its main themes, the large rectangular basin with rounded corners collects waters flowing from different points, in the middle of a long rocky reef a magnificent statue symbolizing "Oceanus" (Neptune, Nettuno) emerges from a large niche standing atop a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two winged horses (representing the changing mood of the sea, calm and rough waters) both led by two mermen; two smaller side niches flanking Ocean host "Healthiness" (Salubrità) and "Abundance" (Abbondanza).

These thee statues are bounded by four large corinthian columns supporting two bas-relief panels and four smaller allegorical statues symbolizing the four seasons, "Abundance of Fruit" (Abbondanza della Frutta), "Fertility of the Fields", (Fertilità dei Campi), "Products of Autumn" (Ricchezza dell’Autunno) and "Amenity of Gardens" (Amenità dei Giardini), in central position stands the great commemorative inscription affixed upon request from Pope Clement XII.

Although Salvi engineered the general concept, the magnificence of the fountain and the complexity of its statues have required the participation of many artists, "Oceanus", the horses and the mermen, for example, were initiated by Maini but after his death finished by Bracci, "Healthiness" and "Abundance" are della Valle's works, the two bas-reliefs have been carved by Bergondi (Agrippa) and Battista Grossi (the Roman virgin), the four upper statues are Corsini, Ludovisi, Queirolo and Pincellotti's works, this last one was also involved in the work of the reef, the pope's coat of arms was made by Benaglia; the curious travertine vase, the so-called Ace of Cups (Asso di Coppe), that actually has nothing to do with the whole structure, is said to have been placed by Salvi in a strange position to cover the view of a next fault-finding barber, who from his salon didn't spare his bitter remarks about the works.

Trevi Fountain is today a real must-see attracting a very high number of daily tourists who, according to the tradition, throw a coin into it on their back to ensure a return trip to the Eternal City; but this masterpiece has been an inspiration to poets, artists, musicians, and filmmakers as well, how to forget it as romantic location in the most iconic scene in Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg.

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Barberini Square (Piazza Barberini) is one of the most important Roman squares, situated between the Quirinal Hill (Colle Quirinale) and the Gardens of Sallust (Horti Sallustiani or Giardini di Sallustio), it was named after the adjacent Palazzo Barberini (Via delle Quattro Fontane), Barberini Family-owned, one of Rome’s greatest dynastic families.

With the exception of the magnificent palace, the whole space was in the past occupied by a few poor houses and uncultivated gardens but the family even had a theater built here, Teatro Barberini, a work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1634) which, until 1873, enjoyed great success; it was just during the late 19th century that works of reconstruction began, Barberini Square was renovated and embellished by decorative elements and architectural masterpieces such as the Triton Fountain (Fontana del Tritone) at its center, one of the most elegant Bernini's works and among the most appreciated fountains in Rome; it was commissionated by Pope Urban VIII Barberini in 1643 and depicts four dolphins supporting a large scallop on which is seated the sea-god Triton blowing water through a shell held up in his hands, the dolphins'tails are decorated with the bees of the Barberini family crest; in 1644 Bernini also created the smaller Fountain of the Bees (Fontana delle Api) in honor of Pope Urban VIII Barberini, today located in a corner of the square, exactly where Via Veneto enters Barberini Square.

Until the 18th century the whole wide space in front of the Triton Fountain was sadly used to display unknown and unidentified human corpses for a possible public identification while a more agreeable event, the “Triumph of the Strawberries" in the 19th century, consisted of a popular procession and festival characterized by chariots and agricultural carts full of flowers and delicious strawberries.

Anyway it's only during the 16th century that in Barberini Square new churches and palaces around were built, elegant buildings and gardens replaced old structures, in the first years of the 20th century it already appeared to be as a modern urban space; moreover, thanks to the access to Via Veneto and Via Barberini, the square is today within easy reach and one of the busiest traffic centers in the city, just a few minutes distance from Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi), Quirinal Hill and Piazza di Spagna.