If a tourist in Rome wants to make a wish and come back here again, then he just needs to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. As the legend goes, you need to do this while standing with your back to the fountain and throwing a coin over your left shoulder.
Millions of tourists do this every year. But where does all this money go?
For more than 15 years, thanks to an agreement with Rome, the Catholic charity Caritas has been issuing an average of one and a half million coins annually to fund charitable causes.
There is a complex process behind the harvest, which can only be seen on certain days of the week.
ACEA, the Roman supplier of electricity and water, is responsible for the process. Twice a week, several of its employees suck up the coins using special vacuum pumps.
Over the years, the organization has found very strange objects in the fountain.
Many tourists know that the money from the fountain goes to charity.
Gabriela Funston, tourist from Chile:
“I like to know that by throwing a coin you can help people in need. It is a symbol of hope and help.”
All collected coins are put into large bags, which are then weighed. The collection is carried out in the presence of the Rome police, who cordon off the territory of the fountain, and also record the weight of the coins.
Caritas volunteers then take the bags to a secret location where the coins are washed, dried and sorted to be converted into euros.
Recently, up to one and a half million euros have been collected annually from the fountain.
