Dispute over coins: Who owns the money in the Trevi Fountain?

The annoyance that Rome mayor Virginia Raggi now has, actually goes to the account of the German archaeologist Wolfgang Helbig (1839 - 1915). He spent 50 years of his life as a professor and art dealer in Rome. Because he was also married to a rich Russian princess, he made himself as a host of glamorous festivals a name.

At such a feast, it is said, he invented the matter of the coin and the fountain. Or, according to another explanation, to comfort the students, who were sad to leave Rome: standing backwards, closing their eyes, throwing a coin over their head into the well water. The return to Rome is then certain. One more coin: one finds the very big love. A third: love lasts a lifetime.

Today, almost all of the millions of tourists who come to Rome and crowd around the most famous fountain in the world throw a coin into the water. Some even get into the water, mostly unlawful and drunk. And based on the Swedish actress Anita Ekberg in the movie "La dolce vita", which was filmed 60 years ago. Most of course want to immortalize the obligatory coin toss only in a selfie.

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Anita Ekberg in Federico Fellini's "La dolce vita"

Every morning, in the morning, vacuum cleaner-armed men on average fish coins worth more than 4,000 euros from the Trevi Fountain - in other words, because there are three roads leading to it. This adds up to a sum of around one and a half million euros a year. For a long time the city collected the money. Until mayor Francesco Rutelli - the first green in the Roman town hall - had an idea in 2001: to make such a "romantic gesture", with the coins, "fit those who are starving". So he decreed that the proceeds should come from the well of Caritas.

So it was until Virginia Raggi, lawyer and politician of the five-star movement conquered the city hall and after a year realized that the money is not enough. There's always trouble with the garbage that lurks everywhere in the Eternal City, holes in the streets where sometimes cars and even buses sink, and far too much old walls in the city crumbling away because of his Receiving no money is there.

So in the fall of 2017, Ms. Raggi and her city council decided to keep the fountain money itself and spend it on unspecified "social projects". Prompt, there was public displeasure. The new city government postponed the request, only on 1 January 2019, the regulation will enter into force.

Last year there were concerns again. Raggi and Co postponed the day of being cashed again, April 1, 2019.

All that has not helped. The displeasure of many Romans breaks track on social networks, in newspapers, in protest calls with the town hall.

DPA

Throw the coin with your back to the fountain

The caress of the church

Well, Caritas is not anyone but a worldwide organization, with many thousands of volunteers and a large staff of solid professional helpers. She is the social arm of the Catholic Church. "The caress of the Church for her people," as Pope Francis in his sometimes idiosyncratic choice of words has called the aid organization.

In Rome, she runs 51 projects to provide food for people in need, a roof over their heads, medical or social care. Homeless, Roma, stranded migrants, women fleeing from their husbands, children living alone in the streets. Every day. There are 300 employees and, according to Caritas, around 5000 volunteer helpers. Accordingly, the excitement, but also the protest potential.

The bishops have registered immediately. In their newspapers, via Radio Vatican and Facebook, they warn that "the services of Caritas helpers would have to be reduced and some would have to be stopped altogether", the decision of the municipality should come into force. And of course that would have "an impact on the social climate in the city".

Of course, this is also a case for the politicians of the opposition. "The work of Caritas must be rewarded, not financially dehydrate," scold Social Democrats. But even in their own ranks there is annoyance over the anger, the woman Raggi the five-star movement now einbrockt again.

Just forget

Therefore, Raggi is now in a hurry to seek a peaceful end to the conflict. Maybe you could somehow share the money. And the city would also use its share for social purposes. But when the question comes, how much more it costs, if the city helps a needy, than if the army of free Caritas helpers do the job, the burden-sharing logic ends quickly.

In the end, it certainly looks like that, Mrs. Raggi has only one thing: to simply forget the handle in the fountain filled with coins and go fishing elsewhere. To make face preservation in the Roman town hall on a protocol, it is rumored, in which it was made clear that the coins from the famous pool belong to the city, but this - let it - in whole or in part - the Caritas. But that the municipality was allowed to control exactly what the money would be used for.

Even the pope would be happy with that.