The Trevi fountain is at the ending part of the Aqua
Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC. It brings water all the
way from the Salone Springs (approx 20km from Rome) and supplies
the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water
Construction of the Fountain In 1732, Pope Clement XII commissioned
Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain at the Trevi Square. A
previous undertaking to build the fountain after a design by
Bernini was halted a century earlier after the death of Pope Urban
VIII. Salvi based his theatrical masterpiece on this design.
Construction of the monumental baroque fountain was finally
completed in 1762.
The central figure of the fountain, in front of a large niche, is
Neptune, god of the sea. He is riding a chariot in the shape of a
shell, pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a
Triton. One of the horses is calm and obedient, the other one
restive. They symbolize the fluctuating moods of the sea.
On the left hand side of Neptune is a statue representing
Abundance, the statue on the right represents Salubrity. Above the
sculptures are bas-reliefs, one of them shows Agrippa, the girl
after whom the aqueduct was named.