Trevi Fountain

travel wonder in Rome, Italy

Why the

Trevi Fountain

in Rome

is special

It is famous around the globe mainly because of a cute superstition: You are guaranteed to return to Rome if you toss a coin over your shoulder into its water. As an astute local told me, your wish will always come true unless it doesn't.

Tips & insights on the

Trevi Fountain

As an astute local told me, your wish will always come true unless it doesn't.

The hit 1954 movie Three Coins in a Fountain helped make this 18th century attraction the world's best known "wishing well". The 1960 La Dolce Vita movie forever etched in the minds of cinema buffs the scene of Anita Ekberg gleefully splashing about in the water.

Your wish money goes to charity, but that wasn't always totally the case. In 2002 the police caught a man who admitted that for years he had been removing some of the money in the lonely middle of the night, before city workers came to gather it in the morning.

A statue of Neptune is the Trevi Fountain focal point. He stands on a seashell chariot pulled by two seahorses.

The structure is built against the wall of the Poli Palace.

Trevi Fountain gained it name because three roads (tre vie) meet in its square.

Be prepared for crowds. The square is tiny and Rome has countless tourists.

The fountain takes on a different aura at night when it and its waters are lit

When to go

to Rome

Read my at-a-glance charts with tips & insights on Rome's:

View my other gold,

silver & bronze medal

winners in Italy

My Italian

phrase guide

for travelers

What every visitor should know.

Italian cuisine guide

Vatican City

Note: Its wonders are not listed in my Italy Guide. Even though the Vatican lies within Rome, it is not part of it or Italy. It's an independent nation. Click to see its gold, silver and bronze medals,

I hope your Italy travel dreams come true - and that 

my Trevi Fountain page helps you enjoy your vacation, tour or trip

©2008 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications