The completion of the Trevi Fountain took place in 1762.
The fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi after Pope Clement XII approved a competition for a monumental fountain at the junction of three ancient roads. Construction began in 1732, and the project transformed the rear façade of the Palazzo Poli into a theatrical Baroque backdrop.
Salvi died in 1751, when the fountain was still unfinished. Giuseppe Pannini then took over as architect and completed the work, while sculptors including Pietro Bracci and Filippo della Valle supplied its major figures. Bracci created the central statue of Oceanus, shown riding a shell-shaped chariot drawn by sea horses.
The fountain was officially inaugurated on 22 May 1762 by Pope Clement XIII. That date is often confused with 1732, the year construction began, or with 1751, the year Salvi died. The completed fountain is about 26.3 metres high and 49 metres wide, making it Rome’s largest Baroque fountain and one of the city’s best-known landmarks.