Trevi Fountain Coin Toss 2026: Legend, Rules, Where It Goes

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The coin toss is the most famous ritual in Rome, and it survived the 2026 rule changes: the official fountain rules name it as the one exception to the ban on touching the fountain.

Here is what the coins are supposed to mean, how to throw, how much ends up in the water, who collects it, what Caritas Roma spends it on, and the films that made the fountain famous.

The quick answer

Yes, you can still throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain in 2026: the official rules make the coin toss the exception to the no-touching rules. Stand with your back to the fountain and throw with your right hand over your left shoulder; one coin means you will return to Rome. About €1.5 million is thrown in each year, roughly €4,000 a day on average, and since 2001 it has gone to the charity Caritas Roma.

Coins resting on the pale bottom of the Trevi Fountain's turquoise basin, seen through clear rippling water with sunlight patterns — Coins on the basin floor: on average about €4,000 lands here every day.

Why do people throw coins in the Trevi Fountain?

Because of the belief that a coin thrown into the fountain means you will return to Rome.

That is the recorded tradition, and the one guides repeat. Popular legend adds more: the story goes that two coins bring a new romance and three lead to marriage. Treat those as legend; only the return to Rome is the long-standing belief. Either way, the throw itself matters: back to the fountain, right hand, over the left shoulder.

The full Trevi Fountain facade with its statues, carved rocks and turquoise basin under a bright blue sky, framed by red and ochre buildings — Coins land in the basin in front of Nicola Salvi's facade.

How do you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain?

With your back to the fountain, throw with your right hand over your left shoulder.

Turn around: stand with your back to the fountain.
Right hand: hold the coin in your right hand.
Left shoulder: throw it back over your left shoulder into the water.
Bring your own coin: the 25-minute intro lists coins to toss as not included, and the others do not mention one.
Stay out of the water: bathing and wading are prohibited.

To throw from the edge of the basin rather than across the barrier, you need the €2 ticket during paid hours; see Trevi Fountain tickets.

A guide, the basin entry and the story behind the coins in 25 minutes; bring your own coin.

Check dates for the 25-minute basin intro

Is throwing coins still allowed in 2026?

Yes. The official rules list the traditional coin throw as the one exception to the rules against touching the fountain.

The 2026 change is about access, not the coins: since 2 February 2026 the basin area costs €2 during paid hours, and the piazza stays free. Bathing in the fountain is prohibited, and Rome's 2019 urban rules on sitting, eating and drinking at landmarks also cover the Trevi.

The Trevi Fountain's sculpted facade glowing in warm evening light above the cascade and the basin — The fountain in evening light; the coin throw is still allowed.

How much money is thrown into the Trevi Fountain?

About €1.5 million a year, which averages roughly €4,000 a day, with a record of about €1.6 million in 2023.

Yearly figures reported by Wanted in Rome. The same report also gives roughly €3,000 a day, which does not match its own yearly total (€1.5 million divided by 365 is about €4,100), so the daily figure here is worked out from the yearly one.

	Coins in the Trevi
Per day, on average	About €4,000
Per year	About €1.5 million
Record year	About €1.6 million, in 2023
Goes to	Caritas Roma, since 2001
Collected	About three times a week

Where does the Trevi Fountain money go?

To Caritas Roma, the Catholic charity, which has received the coins since 2001; the arrangement was renewed under mayor Roberto Gualtieri.

The money funds Caritas's work in the city:

canteens for homeless people
help with groceries
support for Alzheimer's care
help for disadvantaged children

The marble statue of Oceanus in the central niche of the Trevi Fountain, with tritons and rearing sea horses below and white water cascading into the turquoise basin — Oceanus above the basin where the coins collect.

Close enough to throw from the edge: a short guided talk, then the basin ticket in hand and time by the water.

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Explore the guided basin visit

How are the coins collected?

About three times a week, municipal workers rake the coins up from the basin; they are then washed and sorted in a warehouse.

So the coin you throw does not stay there long. If you want to see the basin calm and the piazza quiet before the day's throwing starts, go early: the paid hours begin at 9:00, or 11:30 on Mondays and Fridays. More in the best time to visit.

Which films made the Trevi Fountain famous?

Roman Holiday (1953), Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) and, above all, Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960), with Anita Ekberg's scene in the fountain.

La dolce vita means “the sweet life”. Do not try to recreate Ekberg's scene: bathing in the fountain is prohibited.

The Trevi Fountain at blue hour, its sculptures warmly floodlit against a deep blue evening sky above turquoise illuminated water — The fountain floodlit at blue hour.

Do Trevi Fountain tours include a coin?

Not usually: the 25-minute intro lists coins to toss as not included, so bring your own.

Some evening tours build the coin toss into the stop: the moonlight walk reaches the Trevi at what the operator calls the quietest time of day, and the night golf cart tour lists the Trevi as a photo stop where you can throw your coin. Neither includes the basin ticket. All the options are compared in Trevi Fountain tours.

Throw your coin in the evening, on a small-group walk from Piazza Navona to the Colosseum.

Check dates for the moonlight walk

Frequently asked questions

What does throwing two coins in the Trevi Fountain mean?

The story goes that two coins bring a new romance and three lead to marriage. These are popular legends; the long-standing belief is only that one coin means you will return to Rome.

Which hand do you throw the coin with?

Your right hand, over your left shoulder, with your back to the fountain.

Can you swim or paddle in the Trevi Fountain?

No. Bathing is prohibited. The coin toss is the only contact with the fountain that the rules allow.

Who gets the money from the Trevi Fountain?

Caritas Roma, the Catholic charity, since 2001. It funds canteens for homeless people, grocery help, Alzheimer's care support and help for disadvantaged children.

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