How much money is actually thrown into the Trevi Fountain
Around 21 million tourists visit Rome each year, with most of them making a pit stop at the Trevi fountain, one of the most popular and Instagrammable tourist spots in the world.
Many take part in the special tradition that has been going on for hundreds of years, that is tossing a coin into the fountain in hopes that their wishes come true.
The money is collected twice a week, with signs around the fountain explaining that the change will go to the local not-for-profit organisation Caritas, which is run by the Catholic Church. The money is then used to fund a food bank, soup kitchen and welfare projects in Rome.
“The collection and cleaning operations are carried out as quickly as possible to try to reduce the downtime of the fountain,” Francesco Prisco, a manager at regional utility ACEA said.
The coins are collected by ACEA workers using long brooms and suction hoses, and according to a 2022 report by Reuters, the church collected 1.4 million euros – about $A2.2 million — from the fountain, with more believed to have been gathered in 2023.
The iconic tourist attraction was completed in 1762 and covers one side of Palazzo Poli in central Rome with its statues of Tritons guiding the shell chariot of the god Oceanus.
It has since attracted millions of visitors.
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