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Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens after a makeover

November 4, 2015

Following 16 months of restoration, water once again flows through the Baroque fountain in the Italian capital. The Trevi Fountain is a famous Rome landmark that draws millions of tourists from around the world.

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Bildergalerie beliebte Reiseziele Italien Rom Trevi Brunnen
Image: Getty Images

Thousands of tourists and locals celebrated the inauguration of the restored Trevi Fountain. "It's very emotional, especially for us Romans," said Silvia Venturini Fendi from the fashion house Fendi, which sponsored the restoration. The works cost a total 2.2 million euros ($2.4 million).

Rome's culture superintendent, Claudio Parisi Presicce, marked the occasion by throwing a coin into the fountain, paying tribute to the legend that visitors who hurl a coin over their shoulders into the fountain are destined to return to Rome. During the restoration period, there was a replacement pool put in place to avoid frustrating tourists wishing to follow this tradition. Every year coins worth about a million euros are thrown into the Trevi Fountain. The money is collected weekly and then donated to charities.

The Trevi Fountain, a masterpiece by Italian architect Nicola Salvi, was completed in 1762. At its center is the marble stone rendering of the water god Oceanus on a shell chariot. The Rome landmark was made famous by a scene in Federico Fellini's 1960 film "La Dolce Vita," in which Swedish actress Anita Ekberg together with her film partner Marcello Mastroianni take a dip in the Trevi fountain.

Ey/jf (dpa, afp).