Standing with our backs to Rome’s Trevi Fountain six years ago, we tossed coins into the water, wishing for our return to Rome.
Our dream has come true, but when we returned to the fountain Monday, it was closed. Why? Three days a week, the Trevi Fountain goes dry and the coins are vacuumed and packed into white bags that fill the back of a small white truck.
What happens to the piles of cash? The money goes to the Roman Catholic charity Caritas, which helps feed the needy in 200 nations and territories.
How much coin is tossed into the Trevi Fountain each year? About a million and a quarter dollars worth.
So when you are in Rome, toss those coins into the fountain, for good luck —- and a good cause.
Minutes after the coins were sucked up, the Trevi Fountain returned to life. Money immediately began raining down, perhaps bringing good luck, but, more certainly, help for those in need.
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