‘A municipal swimming pool’: tourists react to temporary Trevi fountain replacement

Rectangular structure installed as 18th-century masterpiece undergoes essential maintenance

One of the first things American students Fiona Hastings and Olivia Nieporte did as they visited Rome for the first time was venture to the Trevi fountain to partake in the age-old ritual of tossing a coin over their shoulder and into the world-famous landmark.

They had envisaged their coins falling into the basin of the 18th-century masterpiece as water cascaded down from its elaborate sculptures.