Trevi Fountain, Rome: what happens to the coins thrown in revealed

It’s one of Europe’s biggest attractions, where tourists throw coins into the Rome fountain and make a wish. But what happens to all the money?

If you’ve ever been to Rome, you and the other 2.78 million tourists that visit the Italian capital per year are probably guilty of throwing a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. Cliche? Yes. A travel rite of passage? Absolutely.

For argument’s sake, if just half of all the tourists that visit Rome threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, that’s 1.39 million coins being tossed in every year. Mind blowing.

Due to the high volume of coins that end up at the bottom of the fountain, the floor of the attraction is cleared twice a week to keep the fountain clean and reduce damage.

@livevirtualguide When is the Trevi fountain cleaned? ⤵️ The cleaning of the fountain takes place twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. This cleaning is quicker and it includes the collection of the coins. It starts at 8AM and it takes a couple of hours. Once every two weeks (on Mondays) there is a complete cleaning. The fountain is emptied of the water, cleaned off the vegetation that grows on it and disinfected. Have you ever wondered how such fountains are kept so white and clean? 😉 #rome #rometours #rometourguide #romeitalytravel #rometraveltips #thingstoseeinrome #italy #romeplaces #rometrips #romethingstodo #rometravelers #thingstodoinrome #rometravelguide #romeitaly #whatitalyis #hiddengems ♬ original sound - Live Virtual Guide | Rome

So how do the Italians tackle such a mammoth job? The answer is going viral on TikTok.

Social media users have captured footage of the fountain being cleared, uploaded it to the social media platform and garnered a massive response.

First the pumps are switched off so the fountain is no longer running. Then the fountain cleaners push all the coins to the centre of the fountain floor with a long broom-like tool.

@duetfriday Trevi Fountain cleaning. #rome #trevifountain #trevifountainrome #rometrevifountain #trevifountainproposal #trevifountain🇮🇹 #trevifountainrome🇮🇹 #trevi #fontanaditrevi #romefountain #rometravel #romephotographer #romevideos #romanholiday #italytravel #romantis #italytiktok #romewedding #romeweddingphotographer #fontanaditrevi #rometiktok #romacentro #romehistory #exploreitaly #wanderlust #italianplaces #travelplan ♬ Flowers - Miley Cyrus

Once the coins are collected they are then removed with a special vacuum that collates the coins into bags. It’s quite relaxing to watch, actually.

Cleaning happens on Mondays and Fridays, starts at 8am and takes a couple of hours. Each year about 1.5 million Euros are collected from the fountain and donated to local charities.

So even if your wish doesn’t come true, thankfully your Euro is going towards a good cause.

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Originally published as Trevi Fountain, Rome: what happens to the coins thrown in revealed