Rome's Trevi Fountain attracts money — lots of money. It's one of the grandest and most famous fountains in the world, but for now it's had to give way to this little pool.
Every few years, the Trevi Fountain needs a little facelift. That's the job of restorer Michela Torquati. But what's special this time is the deadline. 2025 is the Holy Year in Rome.
"The pressure is huge, we feel it every day. Not just because of the Holy Year. Also because of the proposed funding from the EU. Coordinating this is a real tour de force for everyone," said Michela Torquati from Rome's Office for Monument Protection.
The project also includes this unique installation, which is a kind of walkway over the Trevi Fountain's basin. While restorers remove sediment and dirt from the stone below, tourists amble and observe from above. Eye level with one of the greatest Baroque masterpieces the world over. If you brave the half-hour queue that is.
"Ah, it's great. It's an opportunity to be close to the fountain. I think it's the first time that we can do it and it's been amazing," one man said.
"It's lovely to make a wish at the Trevi Fountain, or at least at the little pool. But of course, it's not the same," another woman said.
Legend has it that throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain brings good luck. That, and the guarantee you’ll return to Rome.
The pool ensures that people can still make wishes and throw in some coins. It adds up to quite a bit.
This morning, before the crowds arrive, it’s time to collect the week’s haul. The coins are swept and scooped up all for a good cause: the Catholic charity Caritas in Rome. Even the wishes that strayed a few meters are found and collected. No coin should go to waste.
"It's significantly less than usual, but that's normal, a lot of stuff is closed, there are fewer tourists, we're in the low season," said Fabrizio Marchioni from Caritas Rome.
And to ensure no one makes off with all the cash, everything is overseen by the police. The bags are weighed, documented and transported. Today's catch was a good 90 kilos (198 pounds) of coins. Not bad for a makeshift fountain.
Next, the money is cleaned, counted and safely deposited at the bank.
Last year’s collections amounted to almost 2 million euros ($2 million).
So, the little temporary pool is quite valuable to Caritas — just how valuable becomes clear from a look around the Cittadella della Carità, or 'citadel of charity' in Rome. Here, people in need can obtain services they couldn't afford otherwise: dental care, training courses and groceries.
Caritas director Giustino Trincia is especially proud of the citadel's own supermarket. Customers can pick up the essentials just like in a normal grocery store.
"52% of the coins from the Trevi Fountain go toward supporting families. They’re used to pay for food, books, rent, electricity bills, and heating costs," Trincia said.
In Rome, too, the gap between rich and poor is widening. Only a few profit from the city's ongoing boom in tourism. For everyone else, rents and the cost of living just keep rising. By tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain, the tourists give a little something back to the people of Rome, says the Caritas director.
"Last year, the coins from the Trevi Fountain enabled us to serve 54,000 meals to people in need. That's really something. This money helps us to maintain this program," Trincia said.
Barely two and a half months after commencing, the restoration of the Trevi Fountain is all but complete. The walkway has been taken away, and the fountain is open to the crowds again.
And they all seem to know the drill: standing with their backs to the fountain, they toss a coin over their shoulder — and wishes come true… at least for the Romans in need it does.