A Brief History of the Trevi Fountain

In 1730, Pope Clement XII (1730-1740) held a contest for the design of the Trevi Fountain, seeking to strengthen his Papal legacy. Salvi, who was born and died in Rome, initially lost to Florentine architect and mathematician Alessandro Galilei (1691-1737). But there was such public outcry over Galilei’s Florence origins, that subsequent calls for Salvi to do the Roman fountain instead led to Salvi’s ultimate selection as the contest winner. He would spend the rest of his life working on the fountain (he died in 1751), leaving four sculptors to finish its ornamentation with Pannini overseeing the project as architect until its completion in 1762. 

The fountain’s location is integral to its functionality as a public space, according to Roman art and archaeology scholar John Pinto. Pinto asserts that the Piazza di Trevi, an intersection of three major Roman streets forming a trivium, is likely where the fountain got its name. Pinto claims further that these streets follow the path of ancient Roman roads, signifying the fountain’s ties to Roman antiquity.  

A simpler Trevi Fountain without the ornamentation designed by Silva may have existed before the one we know today, and dating back to the fifteenth century. That one was atop the ancient aqueduct Aqua Virgo (formerly Acqua Virgine), which dates back to 19 BC during the reign of Augustus. The medieval fountain was in a different placement within the piazza, originally on its eastern wall instead of its current northern location.

The fountain’s ornamentation honors humankind’s relationship with water through a theatrical performance in white travertine stone, specifically through the lens of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. In the sculptural landscape of the fountain, a centrally located Oceanus stands victorious on a shell chariot, which Pinto argues transforms the audience from spectator to active participant. 

While the fountain was an early vehicle for the Neoclassical movement, the theatrical nature of the fountain is unmistakably Baroque. Scholars such as Pinto declare the fountain to be exemplary of exceptional Baroque urban planning. 

The water flowing down from under Oceanus’ shell chariot plays an important role in the fountain’s function as well since it honors the ancient engineering of Roman aqueducts. The fountain marks the end point of Acqua Vergine, a modern Roman aqueduct whose name comes from its predecessor, Aqua Virgo, one of twelve waterways that supplied water to Ancient Rome in 19 BC.

Acqua Vergine was consecrated by Pope Nicholas V in 1453 along with a complete renovation and reconstruction of the ancient aqueducts. The project served as an embrace of Ancient Roman engineering in that it showcased the archeological wonder of the aqueducts beneath the stone and street of the Piazza di Trevi. Today, Acqua Vergine is the only ancient aqueduct still in use. 

Underneath its Baroque grandeur and spectacle, the Trevi Fountain serves as an embodiment of Roman pride, Papal politics, Baroque urban planning, and ancient engineering. The fountain’s history is even more theatrical than the scene depicted in the sculpture. However, a Baroque piece would never give up the spotlight. The fountain draws a crowd of roughly ten million tourists looking to soak in a bit of ancient pomp and history. Little do they know, they are witnessing so much more.