The central sculpture shows Oceanus (Neptune), god of the sea, riding a seashell chariot, which is pulled by two hippocampi (sea horses). Statues representing Abundance and Salubrity stand on either side.
In 1732, Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to create the fountain, after a previous design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini was canceled due to the death of his patron, Pope Urban VIII. The fountain was completed in 1762.
The fountain is the end of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 B.C. It transports water from Salone, about 12 miles away, to the center of Rome.
Its most famous tradition requires making a wish by throwing a coin over your shoulder into the fountain. This ritual guarantees a return to Rome.
Though legend guarantees eternal love if a couple drinks the water of the fountain together, a more hygienic potion is at the "Fontanina Degli Innamorati" or lovers fountain to the side of Trevi.
