Italian fashion house Fendi is donating €2.12 million to restore Rome’s historic Trevi Fountain.
Famous as a location in Federico Fellini’s 1960 movie ‘La Dolce Vita’, the Trevi Fountain is in a sad state of disrepair. In summer 2012, pieces of stone and plaster – loosened by the snow and ice of winter – fell off the ornate Baroque masterpiece.
Repairs are scheduled to begin this month in what will be the most thorough restoration in the fountain’s history. The works are estimated to take 20 months, and will remove calcium deposits, fix leaks, clean statues, add new waterproofing to the basin, install new pumps and construct barriers to deter pigeons.
The Trevi Fountain has served as a backdrop in various films, including ‘Roman Holiday’ (1953) and ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’ (1954). According to tradition, if an individual throws a coin into the fountain, they will return to Rome. Tourists will still be able to thrown coins into the fountain during restoration works because only part of it will be covered in scaffolding at any time.
Fendi is the latest company to come to the rescue of an Italian monument. The owner of the Italian leather-goods company Tod’s, Diego Della Valle, is paying for the restoration of the Colosseum in Rome, and Italian fashion company Diesel is providing the funds to restore Venice’s Rialto Bridge.
