Restoration work on the Trevi Fountain is set to begin Thursday, June 5.
Entirely financed by luxury fashion house Fendi, the €2 million project to revamp the monumental fountain commissioned by Pope Clement XII in 1732 is expected to conclude in the fall of 2015.
In order not to disappoint the many visitors who flock to the capital to see the iconic fountain immortalized in Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, video stations, historic photographs, transparent panels and a temporary panoramic bridge over the fountain's basin will be installed, while night time tours will also be offered to observe the restoration project.
The restoration work became necessary after chunks of stone and plaster fell from the fountain’s baroque façade.
Fendi is just one of a few private companies to come to the rescue of an monument as of late. Tod's founder and CEO Diego Della Valle is paying 25 million euros to restore the Colosseum, while jewelry and luxury goods company Bulgari has donated €1.5M to the city of Rome for the restoration of the Spanish Steps.
