Learn about the history of the Trevi Fountain in Rome with iMinds Travel's insightful fast knowledge series. Rome is a city of fountains. As you wind your way down narrow lanes and through busy streets, you are sure to pass many a piazza graced with a fountain spread out before you. These unique works of architecture couple grandiose designs with the refreshing presence of cascading water. For those who have visited Rome, it may not surprise you to learn that there are in fact an impressive 280 fountains in the Eternal City. And the most famous of all is the Trevi Fountain.

The name ‘Trevi’ comes from the words ‘tre vie’, which means ‘three roads’ in Italian, as it stands at the intersection of three Roman streets. Located in the Quirinale district and is often touted as one of Rome’s “must-see” landmarks. Standing at 26 metres, or 85 feet, high and spanning 20 metres, or 65 feet, the Trevi Fountain is also the largest baroque fountain in the city. Its melange of marble, stone and flowing water beguile Romans and tourists alike. But did you know the water comes from one of the city’s earliest aqueducts? Ancient reports tell us that a young virgin discovered the spring in the late first century BC. Upon its discovery, the Roman statesman Agrippa had the Acqua Virgine aqueduct constructed in 19BC. This aqueduct brings the water all the way from the Salone Springs, which are about 20 kilometres, or twelve and a half miles, from Rome. They provide water not only for the Trevi, but for all of the fountains in the historic centre of Rome.