Roman renaissance: Fendi restores Rome’s Trevi Fountain
Fendi unveils the results of its 2.5 million euro renovation of Rome's Trevi Fountain
Today sees the unveiling of Rome's newly refurbished Trevi Fountain, following a €2.5 million restoration project funded by Fendi
In Italy, it is the fashion houses rather than the government who have become the guardians of the country's historic monuments. Last year, Prada and Versace opened their wallets to underwrite a year-long cultural restoration of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II that was unveiled in March, while it was the Zegnas and Giorgio Armani who generously sponsored the FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano, the Italian national trust) in its restoration of Milan's famous modernist Villa Necchi, as well as the Abbey of San Fruttuoso, near Portofino.
In January 2013 Fendi joined the club with the announcement that it would be commencing a €2.5 million project to restore five fountains across its home city of Rome, including the glorious Trevi Fountain. As a brand that was founded in Italy's capital city, the Fendi for Fountains project is one that is particularly close to its heart.
While the Quattro Fontane – a quartet of Late Renaissance fountains at the intersection of Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via del Quirinale – were unveiled in May, the Trevi Fountain is scheduled to start flowing again today, just 17 months after restoration works began.
During the restoration, which was carried out by a team of 26 craftsmen, Rome's Sovrintendenza Capitolina installed a transparent, elevated boardwalk that allowed some three million visitors to get a closer look at the fountain than ever before and watch the craftsmen at work.
During the restoration, which was carried out by a team of 26 craftsmen over 17 months, Rome's Sovrintendenza Capitolina installed a transparent, elevated boardwalk that allowed some three million visitors to get a closer look at the fountain than ever before
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Fendi
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ali Morris is a UK-based editor, writer and creative consultant specialising in design, interiors and architecture. In her 16 years as a design writer, Ali has travelled the world, crafting articles about creative projects, products, places and people for titles such as Dezeen, Wallpaper* and Kinfolk.
-
Best of Design Miami Paris 2025: animal sculptures and musical ping-pong tablesDesign Miami Paris returns to the Hôtel de Maisons (until 26 October 2025): here are the Wallpaper* highlights
-
Sam Falls is inspired by nature’s unpredictability in living works for RuinartThe artist creates works that are in-between photography and painting as part of Ruinart's Conversations with Nature series
-
Michael Graves’ house in Princeton is the postmodernist gem you didn’t know you could visitThe Michael Graves house – the American postmodernist architect’s own New Jersey home – is possible to visit, but little known; we take a tour and explore its legacy
-
Step inside Casa Moncler, the brand’s sustainable and highly creative Milanese HQCasa Moncler opens its doors in a masterfully reimagined Milanese industrial site, blending modern minimalism and heritage, courtesy of ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
-
Aldo Frattini Bivouac is a mountain shelter, but not as you know itA new mountain shelter on the northern Italian pre-Alp region of Val Seriana, Aldo Frattini Bivouac is an experimental and aesthetically rich, compact piece of architecture
-
Rome’s Basilica di Massenzio has been reinvigorated with fresh architectural interventionsThe ancient landmark bridges past and present with a redesigned stage area, new flooring and interactive information points
-
The 2026 Winter Olympics Village is complete. Take a look insideAhead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, taking place in Milan in February, the new Olympic Village Plaza is set to be a bustling community hub, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
-
Anish Kapoor designs Naples station as a reflection of ‘what it really means to go underground’A new Naples station by artist Anish Kapoor blends art and architecture, while creating an important piece of infrastructure for the southern Italian city
-
‘Landscape architecture is the queen of science’: Emanuele Coccia in conversation with Bas SmetsItalian philosopher Emanuele Coccia meets Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets to discuss nature, cities and ‘biospheric thinking’
-
This historic Sicilian house cost one euro. Go inside its transformationPalermo-based firm Didea teamed up with AirBNB to reimagine the once-dilapidated property in vibrant colour blocks
-
A guide to Renzo Piano’s magic touch for balancing scale and craft in architectureProlific and innovative, Renzo Piano has earned a place among the 20th century's most important architects; we delve into his life and career in this ultimate guide to his work