One entire side of the Piazza di Trevi is taken up by what can be considered Rome’s most monumental fountain, the Trevi Fountain. Apart from St. Peter’s Square on days when special events take place, it is also probably the busiest square in Rome.
Piazza di Trevi Rome
What to see
The Trevi Fountain became world famous thanks to Federico Fellini‘s film “La Dolce Vita”. Anita Ekberg wades through the fountain and begs Marcello Mastroianni to come and keep her company. At night, when most tourists are asleep, and the Piazza di Trevi is deserted except for a few, the fountain is at its most beautiful.
Diagonally across from the Trevi Fountain, on the corner of the Via del Forno you can see one of Rome’s oldest bakeries. The bakery has existed since the 17th century; the Forno (“oven” but also “baker”) sign is two centuries younger.
Another historical store in the Piazza di Trevi is the Farmacia Pesci (no. 89). This pharmacy was founded in 1522. Some pieces of furniture in the store still date from that time. There is also a wooden head of a unicorn, supposedly made by the famous sculptor/goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, who supposedly used it to pay for his medicine.
Right across from the fountain (at No. 93) is a store, the windows of which are outlined by a medieval portico with antique Roman columns.
The church on the left is the Baroque-style SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio. The architect of this church was Martino Longhi the Younger. Since 2006, under the name Santi Cirillo and Metodio, this church has also been used by a Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox monastic order. It contains some fairly lurid relics.
The Madonnella to the left of the church dates from the 18th century. Although not all of these “little Madonnas” are actually dedicated to the good woman, they are all so named. They had three functions: Beyond veneration of the saint and decoration, they also served as street lights.
What to see near Piazza di Trevi
The Vicolo dei Modelli is a small alley that opens onto the square and gets its name from the many artist models who lived in the alley.
If one follows the Vicolo dei Modelli from the Piazza di Trevi to the end, one comes to the Piazza Scanderbeg. This is named after an Albanian freedom fighter who freed his country, supported by the Pope, from Turkish rule. The building where he himself lived (house no. 117) was demolished in the 18th century and replaced by a new palace.