Newsademic British English edition 260

r e v i
 
f o u n t a in
A special ceremony was held 
in Rome, Italy’s capital city, on 
the evening o f 3rd November. It 
marked the reopening of the Trevi 
Fountain. For nearly two years, 
the fountain’s pool has been empty 
and most of its stonework covered 
in scaffolding. This was part o f a 
big restoration project. The foun­
tain’s marble statues and stone 
front have been cleaned, cracks 
mended, the pool waterproofed, 
and two special pumps fitted. The 
pumps circulate the water from the 
pool back through the fountain.
Currently, the city of Rome has 
little money. A few years ago the 
bosses of several famous Italian 
companies offered to help. They 
agreed to pay for the restoration work 
that some of R om e’s ancient build­
ings and monuments badly needed. 
A shoe company called Tod’s is 
currently paying for the Colosseum 
to be cleaned. This huge elliptical­
shaped building is an open-air are­
na, or amphitheatre. The Colosseum 
is almost 2,000 years old. It is where 
Roman citizens watched gladiator 
fights. The Colosseum restoration 
work will cost €25 million (£17.6
million). Completion is expected 
next year.
About €2.2 million (£1.55 mil­
lion) was spent on the Trevi Foun­
tain restoration work. The Fendi 
Company paid for it. This is a well- 
known Italian fashion company. It 
makes clothes, shoes, leather bags 
and belts, 
sunglasses, watches, 
and fragrances.
The Trevi Fountain 
(Fontana di
Trevi)
is probably the w orld’s most 
famous Baroque fountain. Baroque 
(pronounced ba-rock) is a style of 
European architecture, music and 
art from the 17th and 18th centu­
ries. Baroque buildings have com­
plex sculpture-like designs. They 
are usually very large and ornate.
The fountain has a long history. 
In 19 BCE, or just over 2,000 years 
ago, Roman engineers built a long 
aqueduct. It brought clean water to 
the city of Rome from a faraway 
source, or spring. The aqueduct is 
22 kilometres (14 miles) long. Much 
of it is underground. The aqueduct 
took the water to a place where three 
roads intersected, or crossed. Called 
the Trivia, it eventually became 
Trevi Square.
Trevi Fountain, in Rome
Water flowed along the aque­
duct for about 400 years. However, 
it was badly damaged by invaders 
after the Roman Empire collapsed. 
In the 1450s the pope, or leader 
of the Roman Catholic Church, 
arranged for the aqueduct to be 
repaired. In 1730 Pope Clement the

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