Daily 1000’s of vacationers in Rome toss cash into the Trevi Fountain.
Probably the most standard traditions for vacationers visiting Rome includes throwing a coin into the waters of the Trevi Fountain within the hopes of returning to the Italian capital as soon as extra.
In keeping with custom, vacationers who toss cash into the basin of the Baroque monument – proper hand over left shoulder with eyes closed – are assured a return journey to the Everlasting Metropolis.
However the place do all of the cash find yourself?
Since 2001 the Catholic charity Caritas has been the beneficiary of the swept-up coinage which it makes use of to supply assist to Rome’s homeless individuals and households in monetary problem.
This association was launched by former mayor Walter Veltroni, earlier than being continued by subsequent administrations, and was renewed just lately for 3 years below the town’s current mayor Roberto Gualtieri.
So how a lot cash are we speaking about?
The cash thrown into the Trevi Fountain add as much as the princely sum of round €1.5 million annually, understanding at roughly €3,000 a day.
2023 was a document yr for Caritas, which was based in Rome in 1971, with round €1.6 million swept out of the fountain for charity based on native newspaper Il Messaggero.
Not simply cash
And it isn’t simply cash that find yourself within the waters of the 18th-century monument which was immortalised in a well-known scene from Fellini’s basic film La Dolce Vita.
A number of the extra surprising gadgets fished out of the water embrace glasses and even dentures, Caritas volunteer Fabrizio Marchioni informed Il Messaggero.
“Bracelets are the objects we discover most frequently” – Marchioni mentioned – “When individuals throw the coin generally the bracelets comes free and falls into the water.”
About thrice every week municipal staff rake up the money which is taken to a warehouse to be washed and sorted.
Coin theft
Periodically police catch individuals within the act of stealing the cash from the fountain.
Essentially the most notorious coin thief was Roberto Cercelletta, often known as D’Artagnan, who died in 2013.
D’Artagnan normally struck at daybreak and was arrested quite a few instances over time, receiving a whole lot of warnings from police to cease stealing the cash.
In 2002 he even appeared in The New York Instances and in 2011 he staged a protest on the landmark fountain, his “workplace”, claiming that accumulating the cash was his official “career” for years. He was arrested on that event too.
Trevi Fountain on Sunday morning #Rome pic.twitter.com/0IP1z8amLe
— Needed in Rome (@wantedinrome) November 5, 2023
Giustino Trincia, director of Caritas of Rome, has managed the Trevi funds since 2006.
“The cash come from everywhere in the world” – Trincia informed Il Messaggero – “Not solely euros but additionally {dollars} and kilos. Foreign currency echange are separated from euros to be exchanged.”
Because of the work of its volunteers, Caritas solely spends about six per cent of the whole annual quantity of raked-up cash on prices associated to sorting and managing the cash.
The charity channels the funds into operating canteens, serving to poor individuals to purchase their groceries, aiding individuals wih Alzheimer’s and offering assist to youngsters from deprived backgrounds.
So when vacationers throw cash into the Trevi Fountain – along with hoping that their want comes true – they’re in truth serving to those who want it essentially the most.
