|
From Via del Tritone
we enter Via della Stamperia, which leads to the Trevi
Fountain, certainly the most famous and spectacular fountain
in Rome, made even more famous by the night-time wading
of Anita Ekberg in Federico Fellini's film "La dolce
vita'. Legend, illustrated in the fountain's upper panels,
has it that it was a young girl who showed Agrippa's thirsty
soldiers where a copious spring gushed forth. Hence the
name of the aqueduct which, running underground for a
long stretch, is the only one in Rome that has remained
in use almost uninterruptedly from the time of its construction
to the present day.
lt is truly surprising to see such
a large fountain in such a small square, but the artist
Nicola Salvi, who created it between 1732 and 1762, carefully
studied the way to increase the sensation of marvel. The
artist was, disturbed during his work by the continuous
criticism expressed by a barber who had his shop in the
square. Everyone knows that, if they want to return to
Rome, they have to throw a coin into the basin, but be
careful: for the dream to come true, you have to toss
it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain!
Did
You Know? The name "Trevi",
allegedly derives from the word Trivium, a meeting point
of three streets that form this little widened area.
|
