Italy

All Roads Lead to Rome Day 2: Trevi Fountain & Piazza Navona

It is better to start the whole Rome experience by conditioning ourselves first that it is impossible to cover Rome in one trip. There is just so much to see! Do prepare before hand by listing down the sites of utmost priority to you.

I would have been pleased to explore Rome following a 6-hour walking tour based on the film Roman Holiday from the Lonely Planet. Much to our enthusiasm, one of my companions has a back problem and we had limited time in Rome (exactly 1 day and a half) and we wanted to see as much of it as possible. The most practical way was taking a tour of our choice- the Classic Rome Tour exploring the highlights or shall I say Rome's tip of the iceberg.

The Classic Rome Tour's highlights are:

Castello St. Angelo - Trevi Fountain - Piazza Navona - Piazza Colonna - Piazza del Popola - Pantheon - St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square

The advantages of taking the tour is, you get special VIP passes that allow you to cut the long queues at St. Peter's Square. Lots of tourists, it's amazing!

Here are some snapshots at the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona

Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is Italy's largest and most famous Baroque fountain. It was built in the 15th Century as an ending part of Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct built in 19 B.C. It is the central feature located at the Trevi Square in the Quirinale District. Designed based on the sketches of Lorenzo Bernini, Nicola Salvi and Pannini

A coin toss in the fountain. Legend has it that if one tosses a coin, there's a guaranteed return to the Eternal City.

Approximately 3,000 Euros worth of coins are collected daily according to our tour guide All of which are donated to charity.

The Trevi Fountain is also the popular site of Fellini's La Dolce Vita and Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday.

Piazza Navona is one of the world's most famous squares. The shape is elongated as it used to be Domitian's stadium. The stadium was paved over in the 15th century to create the square

Lorenzo Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers

Popular fountain and monument depicted in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons where it was listed as one of the altars of science. Four Rivers; Danube, Ganges, The Nile & La Plata.

Students on a field trip

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (The Fountain of the Four Rivers)

Do you notice how the statue on the left is positioned against the Church of St.Agnese in Agone? The church was designed by Borromini, Bernini's main rival. Bernini however, finished the fountain first before the church.