We both woke up sore from walking so much but we had one last full day in Rome to explore. The Metro was packed and there was an atmosphere of excitement. Did you know that Black Friday isn't just a thing in the United States? We were ready to exit the metro at Barberini, which was the Trevi Fountain exit. But the metro did not stop their. It stopped at the next exit which was Spagna. We got off of the train and decided to visit the Spanish Steps first. It seemed like a lot of people got off the train at this stop and once we were at ground level we figured out why. This was the stop that had all the high end designer shops with Black Friday bargains. We stopped at the Spanish Steps and Joe snapped a picture of me on the steps. These steps are dated back to 1723 that lead from the Piazza di Spanga to the Trinita dei Monti Church.Â
From there we walked to the Trevi Fountain. The original idea was drafted from the architect Nicola Salvi in 1732 as part of a competition held by Pope Clement XII. He was to decide a winner between two large projects. One being a new façade for the church of Saint John Lateran, and the other was for the public fountain at Trevi. Alessandro Galilei took the win but Nicola Salvi's design was praised. His plans were eventually chosen. Unfortunately he did not life to see the final outcome, but his friend Pietro Bracci was able to complete this project in 1762. According to Wiki, an estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. In 2016 they estimated that â¬1.4 million was thrown into the fountain. The money is used for Rome's needy but stealing coins from the fountain is illegal to do so.Â
Before we approached the Trevi Fountain you can hear the rushing of water from a block away. Along with the faint smell of chlorine we knew we were close. I read for good luck you are supposed to use your right hand and throw your coin over your left shoulder as you make a wish. Joe was ready to toss his quarter in until he discovered there was a strange wishing ritual. Then I guess it freaked him out because he decided not to toss a coin in. I tossed my coin in and wished for a family.Â
Our legs were once again very fatigued from walking on cobblestones. We decided to head back to the hotel and rest before dinner. We ended up finding a restaurant near out hotel that served sushi! Joe was happy to eat food that wasn't Italian! We had a decent dinner there but that didn't stop us from heading back out to the pizza max place later that evening. We went to bed early that night knowing we had to get ready at 3am to be at the airport early for the long flight home. And that was our trip to Rome!