Thankfully, Rome’s Trevi Fountain was much larger than I had expected it to be. It was a 30-meter high wall of solid rock, beautified with uncountable little elements, each chiseled with great effort and care. Its size gave me something to look at in relative peace as hundreds of tourists swarmed around me. The area might have been busy, but hey, at least I actually got to look at the thing!
I was standing in the third of three “rings” keeping the mesmerized crowds at bay. The first was direct access to the fountain, which was limited and you had to queue for. The second was a barrier at about 10 meters away. That area was kept free of tourists altogether, presumably to maintain everyone’s view. My area was again separated by a metal barrier, and against it people were squeezing left, right, and center.
Some of the lucky ones directly at the fountain performed an iconic ritual: throwing a coin into the fountain with your right hand over your left shoulder as you stand with your back to the monument. A whopping 3.000 € makes it into the water this way every day. The gesture is supposed to bring good luck to you—and a return trip to the eternal city.
Apparently, the elderly lady next to me really wanted to come back. She was barely one and a half meters tall, which I noticed when, suddenly, her arm went up high. Before I knew what was going on, she chucked a penny towards the fountain from behind our barrier. Not only was it a far 20 meters—it also went badly. Instead of a nice “plop” sound, the coin went right into a poor teenager’s shoulder, who looked around, angry and perplexed. Sorry you had to take that photo again, sir! The lady, meanwhile, quickly scurried off without a word.
I only had a few minutes at the fountain. I was in town during a work trip, and out of the 90 minutes we had, my group lost a solid 30 on shopping for trinkets. The lady’s desperate coin toss got me thinking. Special places, special rituals. It’s understandable you’d want to do them while you’re there. But must you insist on doing something a million others have done to the point of harming the peace while you’re there? I think I’d rather stay quiet, coinless, and content with the view.
Indulge in all the stories you love, but don’t push other people out of them just so you can be the main character.
