August 14, 2015

Tears & Tantrums at the Trevi Fountain


Many world-class attractions in the world come with a mandatory tourist tradition. At Blarney Castle in Ireland, one must kiss the Blarney Stone to gain the gift of eloquence. When visiting the Louvre in Paris, taking a photo with the glass pyramid in the palm of your hand or dangling from your fingers is obligatory. And when in Rome, one cannot pass up the opportunity to toss a coin over the shoulder into the Trevi Fountain to guarantee a return trip to the Eternal City.

But when we were in Rome, we were denied the coin-tossing tradition.

I blame the fuzziness on disappointment.
Not gonna lie - I was pretty much at the point of tears when I came around the corner and saw all the scaffolding. The magnificent Trevi Fountain was undergoing renovations (anticipated to finish in Fall 2015). A television screen was playing footage of what the Trevi Fountain looks like with water in it, and a small marble basin sat near the construction site for tourists to toss a coin over their shoulders. But that's like waving an ice cream cone beneath the nose of a diabetic. It just makes you feel worse about not getting the real deal.

While Danny lingered around the square to take a few pictures of the site, I retreated back down the alley from which we came, ready to go back to the hotel and lick my wounds. Other English-speaking tourists were also voicing disappointment, and I felt particular kinship to a toddler throwing a temper tantrum nearby. It's hard traveling halfway around the world only to have a site closed for renovations, isn't it, little guy? Then again, maybe the tantruming toddler was just upset because he dropped his gelato cone...

Let's just hope the fountain is flowing and bubbling by the time I get around to returning to Rome!

Have you ever traveled somewhere only to discover that a site was closed for some reason? How did/do you handle it?


Linking up for #WeekendWanderlust!
Linking up for #TravelTuesday!


15 comments:

  1. I struck out at two museums in a row this year! But man, the Trevi?! Should I mention I went twice in 2013...? And it's so hard to research EVERY detail as if you just never know what will be renovated when! Impossible to plan around, unfortunately. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really is. At least I know it's supposedly wrapping up this fall, so that should mean it'll be viewable whenever we next make it to Rome. Fingers are crossed!

      Delete
  2. I actually decided against going to the Trevi Fountain when I was in Rome in May. I knew that it was under construction and figured there was no point. I'll have to visit when I return someday! Thanks for linking up with #WeekendWanderlust :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You made the right call on that one. They had closed the fountain down a mere 1.5 - 2 weeks before we arrived. My aunt and uncle got to see it as their trip was just a few weeks before ours. Talk about timing!

      Delete
  3. Ugh that really sucks! Sorry that happened :/ I would have wanted to throw a tantrum too. That would be like (for me) going to Paris to find that the Eiffel Tower had been taken down for repairs haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yeah, it's right up there! We actually narrowly missed striking out on the Eiffel Tower, too. The day after we visited this past spring, the workers walked off the job in protest to the excessive amount of pick-pocketing occurring. Unfortunately that's not really something you can plan around as it was a spontaneous walk-off!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. It was. :( But I got over it and just hope it's open for the next time!

      Delete
  5. Did they really have a television screen was playing footage of what the Trevi Fountain looks like with water in it? That's so crazy! You don't want a movie, you want the real thing! You didn't travel all that way for a movie! I totally understand your disappointment :( I'd be disappointed as well. Thank you for sharing your post as part of the #WeekendWanderlust!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they certainly did! Talk about rubbing salt in the wound, right? Oh well, at least these renovations mean that the fountain should be opening and babbling freely for many years to come once the work is completed!

      Delete
  6. When we were in Rome last year they had just started the renovations. Such a shame, my little sister, like you, didn't get to see it in all its glory.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yep, more times than I can count. Some of Europe's large, historic churches never stop undergoing renovation — literally. The cathedrals are just so large and so old that by the time they "finish" restoration work, it's time to start restoring the first sectiona again!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I remember seeing a news segment about the (re)construction going on at the Trevi fountain, and immediately thought of how disappointed many tourists would be. I know I'd be pretty down if it happened to me. Luckily there is sooo much to see and do in Rome, so I hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Maybe to make you feel a touch better...
    a friend of mine who's in the know says once a week a police officer and a maffia upper drain the fountain and split the on average 30,000 (yes thirty thousand ) that's in there!
    once i heard that i don't even want to pass it any more....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HOLY COW!!! I guess I'd just assumed the money would go to a charity or maybe even cover the budget deficit. But to think, a police man and the mafia get it?!?! That's really sickening.

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear your comments, feedback, and suggestions.