Trevi fountain restoration (with Fendi money) to start
Sometime this week, restoration will begin on the magnificently baroque Trevi Fountain that is a major tourist attraction and, for many, a symbol of the Dolce Vita, as immortalized in his 1960 film, La Dolce Vita. The 2.2 million euro restoration of the monument completed in 1762 will be paid for by the Fendi fashion house, that family no doubt inspired by Tod’s Diego della Valle who is currently footing the bill for a partial restoration of the Coliseum.
During the renovation, the fountain is to be protected by transparent Plexiglas walls so that visitors will still be able to have a glimpse of the monument, also celebrated in the 1954 movie, “Three Coins in the Fountain”. Screens will be erected to provide additional history and images. The fountain was built against a side of the Palazo Poli, with oversize Corinthian pilasters linking the two main stories. The overall theme is the taming of the waters with tritons guiding the shell chariot of the god, Oceanus.
Ever since the making of the Three Coins film, the tradition has been to throw a coin over one’s left shoulder to assure one’s return to Rome.An estimated 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has beenearmarked for socially-useful works but there are regular attempts – and arrests – to steal coins from the fountain.
The Fendi contribution will also cover the restoration of the Four Fountains built by sculptor and architect Francesco Borromini between 1638 and 1663 on the nearby Quattro Fontane intersection.
