Trevi Fountain historical timeline

Abundance

A first-century BC aqueduct with an eighteenth-century shopfront, built by the man who lost the competition.

Chronology

1. 19 BC — Roman technicians locate a source of pure water some thirteen kilometres from the city, supposedly with the help of a virgin, and build the aqueduct that becomes the Acqua Vergine. Structural impact: water is delivered to this point in the city, and has been ever since. What you see today: the reason a fountain is here at all — Turismo Roma calls it the only one of the ancient aqueducts in uninterrupted use.
2. For over 400 years — the aqueduct serves Rome. Structural impact: none to the fountain. What you see today: running water that has not stopped.
3. 1730 — Pope Clement XII organises a contest for a new fountain. Nicola Salvi initially loses to Alessandro Galilei, but after an outcry in Rome at a Florentine winning, Salvi is awarded the commission anyway. Structural impact: the design that was built is the runner-up's. What you see today: Salvi's fountain, not Galilei's.
4. 1732 — work begins. Structural impact: a palace facade and a carved travertine reef go up together as one structure, 26 metres high and 49 wide. What you see today: the building the fountain is built into.
5. 1762 — the fountain is completed by Giuseppe Pannini, thirty years after it was begun and after Salvi's death. Structural impact: the work is finished by another hand. What you see today: essentially the fountain as it stands.
6. 2 February 2026 — a charge is introduced for the catino, the basin area nearest the monument: EUR 2 for tourists and non-residents, daily 09.00-22.00. Structural impact: a staffed barrier at the water's edge. What you see today: the one part of the Trevi you now need a ticket for — and the piazza around it, which you do not.