The famous Trevi Fountain in Italy is getting a restoration thanks to fashion designer Fendi. The $2.9 million restoration will take 20 months.
Fendi designers Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi announced on Monday that they are funding the project.
The fountains "are there to glorify water, which is the most important thing in life," Lagerfield told the Associated Press.
The famous 18th-Century fountain is a huge tourist attraction that is often featured in films. Tourists come to this site to throw a coin over their shoulder, which is said to mean they'll return to Rome soon.
During the restoration project, the fountain and marble statues will be cleaned, gilded Latin inscriptions will be replaced, and the main basic will be re-waterproofed. The project will be broken up into phases. It will start with the central section, then the sides and then the top.
Even though it will be undergoing maintenance, the fountain will not be closed off the visitors and officials will do what they can to make sure tourist photos will still come out decent. A screen with the image of the foundation will hide the scaffolding.
The project is expected to be complete in 2015.
The Trevi Fountain isn't the only project being funded by Fendi. They're also donating $430,000 towards the restoration of the Quattro Fontane in Rome.
The only indication of Fendi's backing to the Trevi Fountain restoration will be a small plaque near the fountain. Silvia Venurini Fendi said she wanted to give something back to the city.
"For Romans, water is inspiration," she said.
Fendi isn't the only fashion company to help restore Rome's cultural highlights.
The founder of Tod's footwear paid $34 million to have the ancient Colosseum restored.
"Without similar initiatives, we won't be able to save the cultural memory of our country," Mayor Gianni Alemanno told the AP.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
