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The Trevi Fountain -

The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, is one of the most famous fountains in the world. Completed in 1762, this immense Baroque masterpiece is a popular visitor attraction.

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When in Rome -

In fact, Rome is one of the world's most visited cities, with 21 million tourists exploring the Italian capital every year.

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Origins -

The tradition of tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain dates back centuries. Trevi was originally a drinking fountain located at the junction of three (tre) major roads (vie) in Rome, hence its name.

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Drinking fountain -

The Roman fountain, which was built in 19 BCE, was fed by an aqueduct. It served to provide fresh drinking water to Rome's citizens.

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Ancient tradition -

The Romans followed the ancient practice of throwing a coin into a river or ocean to ensure that the gods who ruled these bodies of water granted mariners a safe passage.

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'Three Coins in the Fountain' -

The Trevi Fountain was redesigned in the 18th century and, while the storied ritual continued, it was the 1954 film 'Three Coins in the Fountain' that modernized the tradition.

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Good luck and good health -

Tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain apparently ensures good luck or good health and that you will return to the Eternal City in the future. If you have another two coins on hand, throwing the second coin into the water will let you meet the love of your life, while the third coin will have wedding bells ringing.

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How to throw the coin -

There's a particular technique to introducing a coin to the water. It involves standing with your back to the fountain and using your right hand to toss a coin over your left shoulder. But what happens to the money thrown into the Trevi Fountain?

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A lot of loose change -

Few tourists give their coins a second thought once they've been deposited in the fountain. But did you know that an estimated €3,000 is thrown into the fountain every day? That's about US$3,266 of loose change!

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Collecting the coins -

Twice a week, up to four workers employed by the regional ACEA utility company collect the coins. The fountain is drained for cleaning twice a month.

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Extracting the coins -

Extracting the coins is quite a spectacle and involves the workers using long brooms to gather the bounty.

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A million a year -

An estimated €1 million is thrown into the fountain every year. That's well over US$1 million!

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Clean sweep -

The coins are swept into piles before being scooped up using dustpans and brushes.

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Time scale -

Cleaning takes place on Mondays and Fridays and starts at 8 am. Collecting the coins takes, on average, a couple of hours.

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The mark of money -

All that coinage leaves stains across the floor of the emptied fountain. It's why the historic landmark undergoes a thorough clean twice a month.

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Money transfer -

To ease transfer of the coins into collection buckets, powerful suction hoses are used.

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Collecting for charity -

The coins are donated to Rome's Catholic charity Caritas. Pictured: two volunteers from the organization load bags containing coins collected from the Trevi Fountain into a van.

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Cleaning and drying -

The money is taken to the charity's Rome offices for cleaning, drying, and sorting.

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Preventing theft -

A volunteer unloads a bucket with coins at the Caritas office. It's only since 2001 that money collected from the Trevi Fountain has been donated to the charity. One of the reasons for this was to put an end to the frequent attempts by people to steal coins from the fountain.

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Home and dry -

Once laid out on a huge bench, the coins are dried using a hairdryer.

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What else is in the fountain? -

It's not just coins that are fished out of the fountain. Jewelry, religious medals, and even dentures have been salvaged. Items that can be reused or recycled, like bracelets or rings, are given to charity.

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Countdown -

Once dried, the next process is to clean the coins in preparation for counting. The initiative has provided a huge boost for the charity and now accounts for up to 15% of its annual budget.

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A record amount -

The haul is counted by a money counter at the charity. In 2023, Caritas collected €1.6 million swept out the fountain, a record amount that equates to about US$1.7 million.

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Caritas Emporium -

So what is the money spent on? Tourist coins have financed the Caritas Emporium, a supermarket chain where people on low incomes can buy essential goods using points instead of money.

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Food for the needy -

The unemployed can also take advantage of the supermarkets, which stock a range of staples including pasta and dairy products.

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A range of goods -

Rice, bread, and tinned goods are also stocked at the supermarkets.

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Volunteer staff -

Staff working at Caritas are all volunteers, people like this grocer dividing cheese for display.

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A place to meet -

The supermarkets serve as a welcoming space for the less well off, as well as providing a sense of place for the underprivileged.

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A good cause -

Since the initiative first began some 15 years ago, the Emporiums have helped nearly 40,000 people and distributed over 5,000 tons of food, according to Caritas Rome's 2023 report.

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Funding more projects -

Beyond the supermarkets, money raised also helps fund food banks, soup kitchens, and welfare projects.

Sources: (Reuters) (Euronews) (Caritas) (Aleteia) (Catholic News Agency) 

See also: The European experiment with social security for food

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