It doesn't take long for Coins to add up in Rome's Trevi Fountain. People don't mind putting in a penny to make a wish come turn. Over just one year, the pennies, along with other coins, added up to $1.5 million. The bags of money will be given to Caritas, the Catholic charity that feeds the poor, according to spokesman Alberto Colajacomo.
The legend
People believe the legend that says if you throw a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand while standing backward, you will return to Rome. While a penny is the usual coin thrown into the fountain, some people throw in coins in larger amounts hoping to increase their chances.
Other items, besides coins, are thrown or accidentally dropped into the water. Those items are also turned over to the Italian charity. Some of those items include eyeglasses, religious medals, and even dentures.
About Trevi fountain
The 85-feet-tall Trevi fountain was built in 1762. It was recently given a major 18-month makeover. It is illegal to try to get the coins out of the fountain. The police have arrested many people who have tried to fish the coins out.
Lester Holt of "NBC's Nightly News" reported about the coins in Trevi fountain, and there was another story in the news about Rome's fountain on the same day. According to the Sun, a man attempted to swim down the whole length of the fountain.
To make matters worse, he did it in the nude in front of shocked onlookers. Of course, that didn't stop some from recording the man and putting the video on YouTube.
The 30-year-old man completed his goal of swimming across the whole fountain. A nearby police officer was waiting for him at the end of the fountain. After the police covered his naked body, the man was arrested.
Because he resisted arrest, he was charged with violence against a public official. His clothes and other belongings found near the edge of the fountain are being held by the police as part of the investigation. The investigation includes looking to see if the man caused any damage to the historic fountain. Just as it is illegal to fish coins out of the fountain, it is illegal for someone to get in the fountain to swim or for any other reason.
Back in the summer of 2007, a 38-year-old office worker claimed she was hot and the water was so inviting that she went skinny dipping in Trevi fountain. After police covered her up, she was arrested for getting in the fountain. However, she was released a short time later with just a warning not to do it again.
