Roman Sights: The Trevi Fountain

Although some of my greatest memories from my time in Italy were wandering around the streets of Rome, visiting the tourist attractions was still exciting!

On our first day of class at Italiaidea, we went on a walking tour of the city.  Our tour guide took us past famous churches, buildings, and piazzas down various vias and stradas. It was all breathtaking, and I was still in shock that I was actually in Rome. I blindly photographed every building to be sure I remembered my first foray into la citta eterna.

The photo from our walking tour of Rome!

Unfortunately, my first tour of Rome was not on the back of a red vespa, a la Lizzie McGuire. However, my first time at the Trevi Fountain was still a magical experience!

Our tour guide was trying to show us the congested areas filled with visitors from around the world. These were not the areas he suggested exploring for a long time, as everything is more expensive in the area due to massive amounts of tourists.  All of a sudden, I heard running water. Our tour guide informed us that we would soon walk past the Trevi Fountain, and mentioned that it is common to hear the water long before seeing it.

Last night in Rome. 

There were TONS of people. Even though it was crowded, it was beautiful. The majestic white Baroque statues were exactly what I was expecting.  I contained my excitement and squealing by trying to take the most perfect picture. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to sit at the fountain's ledge and toss a coin in my first time visiting, but we made many, many trips past the Trevi during the five week study abroad program. I threw not one, but TWO coins in!

Interesting Fact: The Trevi Fountain yields at least 400 euros a day, and the money is donated to various local charities.

For me, the Trevi Fountain is more than a tourist attraction. Legend says that those who toss a coin into the fountain backwards are destined to return to Rome. As air travel becomes increasingly expensive and life gets insanely busy, it gives me hope that I will be able to regularly return to Italy someday.