Look up above the Trevi Fountain. The attic crowning the façade carries the coat of arms of the Corsini family: a stylised six-pointed star above a checkered band. That crest belongs to Pope Clement XII — Lorenzo Corsini — the man who in 1732 launched the design competition that ultimately created the fountain you are standing in front of.
He was 79 years old, almost completely blind, ran the Papal States from a wheelchair and never lived to see his fountain finished. Here is his story, and why his name still presides over the most photographed water in the world.
Who was Clement XII?
Lorenzo Corsini was born in Florence in 1652 to one of Tuscany's wealthiest banking families. He spent thirty years as a Curial diplomat, became Cardinal under Innocent XII and, in July 1730, was elected pope at age 78 after a four-month conclave. He took the name Clement XII and reigned almost ten years — a long pontificate for a man who started it half-blind and finished it in a wheelchair.
The 1732 design competition
Rome had been promising a monumental Trevi terminus for the Aqua Virgo aqueduct since the early 1600s. Urban VIII (Bernini's patron) commissioned designs that never built. Clement XII finally pushed it through. He held a public competition in 1732 — the first major papal architectural contest open to all — and received dozens of submissions including from foreign architects.
The original winner was Florentine Alessandro Galilei. Roman public outcry over a non-Roman winner forced Clement to reopen the competition. Salvi, a 35-year-old local architect with limited built work, won on the second round.
Choosing Nicola Salvi
Salvi's design integrated a flat side wall of an existing palace (Palazzo Poli) into a theatrical stage with the water tumbling out as if from a natural cliff. Clement XII approved the design in 1732 and saw the first foundations laid in 1733. Funding came from a tax on the popular Roman lottery — a controversial source the pope defended publicly.
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Look at the very top of the fountain's central attic block. Between two reclining figures of "Fame", a large crowned shield carries the Corsini arms — three horizontal red and silver bars (the fascia scaccata) and a star above. It is permanently illuminated at night. Below it runs the Latin inscription naming Clement XII as the patron, dated 1735.
His other Roman legacy
- Palazzo della Consulta on the Quirinal Hill — also Salvi.
- Corsini Chapel in St John Lateran — his future tomb.
- San Giovanni in Laterano façade — by Galilei (the original Trevi competition winner; a consolation prize).
- The first papal opposition to Freemasonry — his 1738 bull In Eminenti.
What to look for on your visit
- The Corsini star-and-bars shield at the top of the façade.
- The dedicatory inscription on the attic naming Clement XII.
- The two seated "Fame" figures flanking his crest.
- The water flowing through the same Aqua Virgo channels he refused to abandon.
When you toss your coin, you are also paying him a small private homage — the blind Florentine banker-pope who, against odds and his own infirmity, finally gave Rome its Trevi.
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Plan the visit itself
Frequently Asked Questions
Who commissioned the Trevi Fountain?
Pope Clement XII (Lorenzo Corsini) in 1732. He chose architect Nicola Salvi from a design competition, financed by a tax on lottery and wine.
When did Clement XII die?
1740 — twenty-two years before the fountain was officially inaugurated in 1762. Three further popes presided over its long completion.
Why is the Corsini crest on the fountain?
Standard Roman practice: the patron pope's family arms are placed prominently on every monument commissioned during his papacy.
Was Clement XII really blind?
Yes. He went almost completely blind shortly after election in 1730 and ruled by dictation. Despite this he authorised three of Rome's most important Baroque projects.