The Trevi Fountain.

 

 

 

The Trevi Fountain in Rome, built under Pope Clemente XII around 1735 AD long Palazzo Polio, is the work of the architect Nicolò Salvi and is still fed to the waterworks Virgin projected in 19 BC by the consul Marco Vipsanio Agrippa to fuel its thermal baths. Concerning the etymology of the monument, there are at least two hypotheses that both have their origins from ancient Roman history: it is argued that the name from the Trevi Fountain derives “Trivia”, the girl who would have indicated to General Marco Agrippa return to Rome after the victorious battle of Anzio against Antonio, the source which then serve as the source, while others think probably the alliteration of the Latin toponym “royal crossroads”, with which presumably indicates the intersection of three roads from which rose the Roman fountain or characteristic of the same source to have three distinct jets of water.

 

The first system operations and restoration of the aqueduct is realized by Pope Nicolò V Parentucelli and assigned to projects by Leon Baptist Alberti and Bernardo Rossellino; later Urbano VIII Barberini made responsible for designing a new source to Bernini that begin with the demolish the existing Renaissance perspective. They presented several projects, all very expensive, because of which Pope Barberini increased taxes on wine so that Pasquino began to speak: "To recreate the water every Roman taxes aggravated wine Pope Urban". Urban VIII and Bernini died without the fountain had been completed. The work, however, stop the implementation of a base to exedra, with a water front that brings together three mouths water and only in 1730 AD, 90 years later, Pope Clemente XII will launch a competition for the final realization of the Trevi fountain won by Nicola Salvi.

 

The artist went to work in 1733, but by almost completed, he died prematurely: his successor, Giuseppe Pannini, ended the work. Clemente XIII inaugurated the fountain in 1762, as we see today. The attic of the Trevi Fountain is adorned with four statues representing personified, from left, the abundance of fruit”, by Agostino Corsini, the fertile fields” by Bernardino Ludovisi “the Gifts of Autumn» by Francesco Queirolo, and "the Amenity Meadow” by Bartolomeo Pincellotti and culminated by a large inscription ordered by Pope Clemente XIII, whose coat of arms, at the top, is flanked by two Fame of Paolo Benaglia. In the biggest niche in the center, flanked by Corinthian columns, the imposing statue of Oceanus, designed by Giovan Baptist Maini but sculpted by Pietro Bracci, drives a chariot in the shape of a shell driven by a merman and pulled by two winged sea horses, one angry placid while the other sides are located the personifications of Abundance and the wholesomeness of Filippo Della Valle.

 

Giuseppe Pannini, who succeeded his Salvi in the direction of work as the new architect of the water Virgin, completed the project of salvation with the creation of reservoirs with regular edges sanded marble in the central part of the cliff. The small square of Trevi, which houses the most famous fountain in Rome, is propably the place most crowded by visitors, who, as tradition has it, throw a coin into the bath, hoping that this gesture will guarantee them to return again to Rome. Most romantic use to drink water from the fountain at the boyfriend who leaves for military service or work and then break the glass, so that man can never forget either of Rome or the girlfriend.

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