Roman Holiday

The healing power of water is no shortage in Rome. With a total of 280 fountains tucked into all corners of the city’s landscape, it’s not hard to stumble across one more beautiful than the next. That is until you turn onto a cobble stone street leading to the heart of Rome’s historic center. Three corridors meet at a well-known aqueduct, Via delle Muratte, Via del Lucchesi and Via in Arcione culminating at the Piazza di Trevi (meaning three).

The Trevi Fountain is a Baroque design and stands 85 feet high and 65 feet wide. The central figure in the fountain is Neptune, god of the sea. Neptune is riding a chariot in the shape of a shell that is pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a Triton. One horse is calm the other is enraged; each symbolizes the moods of the sea. To the left of Neptune is a statue representing Abundance, on the right a statue represents Health. The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea. http://www.amoretravelguides.com/blog/trevi-fountain-in-rome.php

Its origins go back to Roman times and it was the terminal point of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct commissioned by Augustus, which was used to provide water for the thermal baths. The water that flows here has two names: Virgin Waters and Trevi. The first refers to an ancient legend about a young Roman girl who showed the source of the spring to some thirsty soldiers; whereas Trevi derives from the old name for the area, which was originally called Trebium. http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/trevi.htm


Nearly a starlet itself having been the back drop of many a movie scene, including "Three Coins in a Fountain", “Roman Holiday” and "La Dolce Vita". Legend says that you must stand with your back to the fountain and throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder into the water to ensure that one day you will return to Rome.

An average of 3000 Euros are thrown in every day mostly in 5 cent pieces which gives you an idea of how many visitors come to see it. The money is donated to charity and it is always under the watchful eye of a policeman. http://traveltalesfromrome.com/2010/02/12/three-coins-in-the-trevi-fountain/

After throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain while studying abroad, my wish came true of returning to Rome. This time my girlfriends and I were not planning to toss two coins in the fountain as the song alludes to a brush with romance ;) Instead, we were more interested in a little wager. Knowing the Italian men spark to blonds, we kept a tally of cat-calls received by the blonds vs. brunettes! With an even playing field of 2-2, Cathie and I tried hard to stay in the running, but couldn’t compete!


The Painted Memory
http://www.thepaintedmemory.com/Vacation/