Which architect designed the Trevi Fountain?

Nicola Salvi designed the Trevi Fountain.

The fountain was commissioned in 1730 by Pope Clement XII, who sought a grand monument at the endpoint of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. Salvi won the commission after an initially controversial competition result, and construction began in 1732. He designed the fountain as a theatrical Baroque composition incorporated into the rear façade of the Palazzo Poli.

Salvi died in 1751, before the project was finished. Giuseppe Pannini completed the fountain, which was inaugurated in 1762. Sculptors including Pietro Bracci and Filippo della Valle supplied its elaborate figures, with Oceanus occupying the central niche.

A common mix-up is attributing the fountain to Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini proposed renovations at the site in the 17th century, but his plan was never built. Salvi’s fountain stands about 26.3 metres high and 49 metres wide, making it Rome’s largest Baroque fountain.