Visitors in Rome Settle for Makeshift Pool as Trevi Fountain Undergoes Maintenance

Many tourists prioritize a stop at the Trevi Fountain when visiting Rome. The attraction spans 160 feet wide and 85 feet high, making it the largest fountain in the Italian city, and superstitious visitors have been tossing spare change into it for years. But if you’re heading to Rome hoping to have your wish granted, you may have to adjust your exceptions: The destination is being drained for maintenance ahead of the Jubilee 2025, so city officials have set up a small—and much less impressive—pool for coin-throwers. 

Some tourists are dissatisfied, as shown in one CNN interview. “Well, we’re a little disappointed,” one tourist says. “We’ve come all this way. But it’s just to get into the vibe of everything, and it’s good.” Another states, “We’re a little disappointed, [but] we love it anyway.”

On the contrary, others appreciate the small act of continuing the tradition. One visitor to Rome told the Associated Press, “I think it is a very sweet gesture that people can still do that.” Rome officials expect the fountain to be completed by the end of the year.

How did the coin-tossing custom start? According to one theory, it originated in the 1954 film Three Coins in the Fountain. The movie began a fun tradition, stating that if someone throws a coin in the fountain, they will return to Rome. Throwing two in means they will fall in love with a good-looking Italian, and three coins mean the tosser will marry the person they met. This will supposedly only work if an individual throws the coins using their right hand and over their left shoulder.

AP reports that this custom accrues about 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) every year. A little over 50 percent of what’s collected from the Trevi Fountain goes to low-income families in various countries via the Catholic charity Caritas.

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