Some Wishes Don't Come True

Some Wishes Don't Come True

Prior to departing for our last weekend excursion to Italy, I was told that there were many attractions that I had to see and several foods that I couldn’t leave without trying. Some of the tourist attractions included the Spanish Steps, the Duomo, and the Vatican, but the one that seemed most appealing to me was the Trevi Fountain, so I decided to do a little research before getting onto the plane in Brussels.

From the research I did I found that the Trevi Fountain is the most famous and possibly the most beautiful fountain in all of Rome. It is an impressive monument that dominates the Trevi square in the Quirinale District and brings in thousands of tourists each day. Aside from the obvious, I also learned at http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/trevi.htm that the fountain is the ending part of the Aqua Virgo. It brings water 20 kilometers from the Salone Springs and supplies the fountains with water. It was built in 1732 and commissioned by Pope Clement XII. Nicola Salvi, the architect commissioned to do this painting, based his design off of a design by Bernini that had been halted a century earlier. After 30 years, the fountain was completed in 1762. The central figure of the fountain is Neptune riding a chariot pulled by two horses. The differing personalities of the horses (calm and restive) represent the fluctuating moods of the sea. The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea and legend holds that if you throw a coin in the water you will return to Rome, but only if you toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain. The fountain consists of unique Baroque architecture. With all of this in mind I packed my bag and headed for my final destination: Rome.

On our first day in Rome, we decided to squeeze in as many sight-seeing activities as we could so that we could save most of the second day for the Vatican. So at 8:00 AM on Friday morning we woke up well rested and ready for a big day that would end with tired feet and unforgettable memories. We were able to see the Colesseum, the Spanish Ruins, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. After a long day of walking and filling my mind with historical facts the fountain was a perfect way to end the day because the peaceful flow of water and the magnificent architecture of the monument created an ideal combination of not only a tourist attraction, but also one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Hundreds of people gathered on the seats that surrounded the fountain simply admiring the view and trying to take it all in. Because it was the end of the day and we had seen everything that we wanted to see that day we decided to join the crowd and relax amongst a sea of tourists. However, I immediately proved my own theory wrong when I realized that this fountain not only attracts tourists, but Roman locals as well. Some sat in the crevices of rocks reading while others decided to show off this incredible monument to their friends and family. This showed me that just because it is a huge tourist attraction does not mean that is doesn’t create a sense of nationalism for the local people.


However, while I had my back turned to the fountain with my eyes closed and a coin in my hand ready to toss I heard a loud splash. I knew that it couldn’t have been my tiny penny that had made such a noise, so I immediately turned around in time to see that someone had thrown a coke bottle full of thick red paint into the center of the fountain. From the rapid chatter that I heard around me I knew that my reaction had been similar to others. Who would do such a thing? My friends and I scanned the crowd, looking for a snickering teenager or a stealthy local, but to our dismay we came up empty handed. Policeman showed up just minutes later and began roping off the main area as the fountain keeper frantically tried to use a rag to keep the rocks from staining red. Shortly after that the fireman appeared with power hoses and high tech equipment, but it seemed too late.



As we discussed our own theories and compared ours to others around us, we came to the decision that it had to have been a crazy local trying to cause a scene or a terrible tourist who did not understand the significance of this historical monument. Out of further curiosity, I searched the Internet for more information and found on http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jJvt0bbVwOeGG-FUxLEM4NHuq-Tw that investigators believe that this act was a repeated attempt of a 2007 stunt when a guerrilla artist turned all of the water blood-red. Apparently, the artist called the act “futurist” in reference to the art movement of 1909. This same man also covered the Spanish Steps with colored plastic balls in 2008. From the article I also learned that because the Trevi Fountain is one Rome’s best-known landmarks, that it is a magnet for attraction-seeking stunts. It didn’t seem a surprise that something so drastic as turning the fountain red might happen. Another man that has been called into question is a man that is known by “D’Artagnan” who has repeatedly climbed on top of the fountain after trying to steal coins thrown in by tourists. This news was so intriguing to me because I really couldn’t believe that someone would do such a horrible thing.

After witnessing the Trevi Fountain being vandalized I realized that this monument was more than simply a popular tourist attraction. It is a representation of the politics of Rome and an imagined community in itself. People may come together for a common goal that includes seeing all that the Trevi Fountain has to offer, but ultimately there are certain individuals that have a hidden agenda and may do the unexpected. This in itself brings people together because whether we identify ourselves as first timers or native peoples no one wants to watch a historical landmark being ruined.