Trevi Fountain in Rome โ history, photo, description, how to get there, map
Visit Rome and not see the Trevi Fountain? Unthinkable! You need to pronounce it not in the French manner, but like Italians who love their attraction: de Trevi. Then they will accept the foreigner as their own. Getting there is easy. From the metro station Spagna, past the Colosseum โ 20 minutes walk. Tourists are drawn to the popular Piazza di Trevi square in live streams, just like countless hordes of builders once pulled water through pipes here. But in order.
Story
Already under the emperor of Rome, the illustrious Augustus (ruled from the 30s BC), the capital of the world experienced a shortage of water. The project of transferring the waters of the Alps was audacious and grandiose. They hollowed out gutters, raised them to majestic aqueducts, built underground water tunnels for city sewers. The ancient Roman drinking water supply system is still in service today โ safe and sound. Water de Trevi โ all the same, alpine. Gauls and Goths during a raid in the 4th century destroyed aqueducts, including Aqua Virgo โ that was the name of the artery that fed the square fountain.
Only two centuries later the fountain was restored. He would have stood as a flow tank for the needs of the townspeople, if not for the ambitions of Pope Urban VlII. The ruler ordered the best architect and sculptor Bernini to build a palace fountain. The first sketch dates from 1640. Suddenly dad died. But the idea was picked up by Clement Xll. At that time, the Poli Palace already flaunted on the square. An ensemble of sculptures and streams of water was subordinated to the facade of the palace, creating a semblance of a dynamic theatrical performance with rich decorations. The concept is attributed to Portuguese architect Nicolรฒ Salvi. But sources testify not to the first place in the ongoing competition, but only to approval.
Building
From 1732 to 1762 a miracle was created. The Roman architect Alessandro Galilei won the Papal competition. He led the work. Salvi did not live to see the launch of the fountain for 10 years, but the final work was carried out by his friend and associate Petro Bracci. The successor and student of Bernini, the sculptor Carlo Fontano, sculpted the main figure of the complex โ the marble Neptune, placing it on a shell that emerged from the waters. Like a chariot, the bowl of the shell is pulled by hippocamas โ half a fish, half a horse. The hippocampus is held by the bit by the newts trumpeting shells โ the children of Neptune and Aphrodite.
Architecture
The allegorical story is continued by bas-reliefs, and the flourishing baroque order is continued by niches, columns and an apse behind the main sculpture. It was necessary to completely rebuild the portal of the Poli Palace, to raise the pediment. A real alteration for the sake of the fountain. In the stone on the bas-relief, the legend of the girl is retold โ the one that showed the soldiers of Augustus a mountain spring (hence the name โ Aqua Virgo, i.e. โmaiden's watersโ). Below the bas-reliefs are majestic female figures โ โHealthโ, โAbundanceโ. The four columns at the apse symbolize the seasons.
The bowl of the pool stretched the entire width of the palazzo โ 49 meters. The height of the architectural complex is 26.3 m. Even higher is the pediment, buried in papal heraldry carved from Carrara marble. The property of Carrara stone is to be translucent almost the same as amber. Two small streams at the curb of the fountain are used, as in the old days, to quench their thirst. The trickles are called โloversโ: they are crossed and are considered a pheromone. Modern night illumination is arranged in such a way that the water glows in the dark, like an azure wave under the sun. There are as many tourists here at night as at noon. They are located behind the fence, it is no longer possible to approach the parapet.
Origin of name. Which syllable should be stressed?
The origin of the name of the majestic Fontana di Trevi has two variations, and no one knows which one is true. The first, especially popular version, says: the fountain got its name due to the fact that it is located on the square, near which three large streets of Rome are connected. The fact is that Latin experts say: the Italian trevi is nothing more than a modified Latin trivium โ โthree waysโ.
According to the second version, the fountain is named after the young girl Trivia, who pointed to the spring. This legend is reflected in one of the bas-reliefs of the fountain. More details about the bas-relief and the legend will be told later. Often, Russian-speaking tourists get lost when it is necessary to clarify the road to the fountain. Which option is correct: Trevi or Trevi? Answer: The first option is correct. Do not worry that you can forget, any native Italian, if you make a mistake in pronunciation, will correct you with a good-natured smile.
Composition
The royal facade of the palace and the architecture of the fountain complement each other, giving the former elegance, and the latter even more grandeur. The spectacular fountain composition reflects an ancient scene made in stone. When looking at the source, the first thing that catches your eye is the regal figure of Neptune. God with a formidable look sits in his chariot-shell and points in the direction of the source. Without the traditional trident, it is not immediately recognizable. However, the fact that this is Neptune is evidenced by the harnessed winged sea horses and the tritons that control them.
During the construction of the Trevi Fountain, it was possible to amazingly vividly convey power and movement in stone sculptures, the desire to reach great water. Rustling streams of water flow gracefully over the sculptures, falling on the stones, they form a sound similar to the โwhisperโ of coastal waves. In niches along the edges of the central statue of Neptune, female sculptures are placed, and above them are pictorial bas-reliefs. On the left is the goddess of abundance, placed above her bas-relief is a picture where the consul Agrippa gives approval to the project of the aqueduct.
On the right is the goddess of health, a picture is reflected above her head: a young girl orients Roman soldiers to a spring. Subsequently, an aqueduct was drawn from it, directing water to Rome. The aqueduct and the key began to be called โvirgin watersโ (Acqua Vergine).
The Trevi Fountain is extraordinarily beautiful at night. When it gets dark, the light bulbs turn on, unobtrusively illuminating the water and the sculptural composition. The combination of fountain architecture and soft lighting creates the impression of a fairy tale. Involuntarily, you begin to believe in the magic of the source and the legends and beliefs attributed to it. On top of that, if you show a desire to take a dip in the fountain, you can do it for only 200 โฌ. This is the amount of the fine for this innocent prank.
legends
One of the beliefs says: if you turn your back to the source and throw 1 coin into it, you will certainly return to Rome, 2 โ to meet your soulmate, 3 โ to be a quick wedding, 4 โ to wealth. A generous โcontributionโ of travelers goes to charity.
According to another legend, if lovers drink water from two tubes located on the right side of the fountain (landmark: a stone hat resting on a rock), they will find eternal harmony and happiness, their love for each other will never fade away.
Interesting Facts
Not all stones of the facade and plinths of the statues are marble. The smooth stone is shaded with spongy travertine. A beautiful mineral was mined in the mountains by the Latins. It was found not only among the rocks, but also in grottoes โ there it hung like stalactites. Sometimes travertine grottoes open along with low tides. Caves open up on the Mediterranean coast. Therefore, the so-called Tibur stone (travertine) had a mystical meaning among the Romans, they associated them with the forces of the underwater world.
The medieval inhabitants of Italy failed to repeat the feat of the great Romans: for new stone pipes for supplying fresh water and draining used water, it would be necessary to build the same gutters: on an indelible binder โ that is, cement. The Palazzo of the time of Bernini was built on lime mortar with the addition of eggs. Not suitable for pipes. Cement was rediscovered later โ in the 19th century. The Romans used slave labor to mine volcanic ash. He was the link. Digging houses, caves and catacombs fell asleep, and beautiful structures were built in their place. Mined right near Rome. But underground waters have washed away the foundation of the city so much that the capital of Italy is compared to a crust of Roquefort cheese โ it is about to begin to sag. Walking tours are made in the cleared catacombs and caves.
The well-known Carrara marble, used for the sculptures of de Trevi, began to be mined as early as the time of Julius Caesar. The Arc de Triomphe, the famous Pantheon, Trajan's Column were created from this stone. Michelangelo sculpted from it. On the site of Mount Carrara, under Emperor Caesar, a hundred-meter cliff rose. Now on the site of the cliff there is a large quarry. The mountain was cut down, but how beautiful the Eternal City is!
Reconstruction
The last large-scale reconstruction was carried out a hundred years ago. Noble residents of Rome and visitors were allowed to look into the face of Neptune after they climbed 26 m, passed through tall forests.
1998 The water bowl was washed in the most thorough way, then equipped with recirculation (return) pumps with filters. The devices are self-cleaning.
From January 2013 to 2015, the fashion house Fendi becomes the sponsor of the Ocean and gives him 2.2 million euros, 100 LED lights, as well as a 20-month holiday with a wellness cleaning. The anomalous frosts of the winter of 2017 tore several pipes of the fountain, which shocked the city hall employees: they didn't turn off the de Trevi streams in the middle of winter! An emergency stop prevented a major accident and showed the vulnerability of the God of the Seas in low temperatures.
Where is it located and how to get there
The fountain is located in Trevi Square (Piazza di Trevi). There are three ways to reach the square: on foot, by public transport and by taxi. Using the subway, you will need line A; You can get off at the Spagna or Barberini station. Then you will walk directly to the fountain.
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