FAQ

When Maria Williams (Maggie McNamara) arrives in Rome to join the staff at the United States Distribution Agency (USDA), the first place her two roommates take her is to the Fountain of Trevi, where it is said that tossing a coin in the water will grant your return to Rome. Maria and Frances (Dorothy McGuire), longtime secretary to the elusive American author John Frederick Shadwell (Clifton Webb), toss in their coins, but Anita Hutchins (Jean Peters) announces that she's returning to the United States in order to get married and doesn't want anything to botch her plans. Not long after, Maria is introduced to Prince Dino di Cessi (Louis Jourdan), known locally as the 'predatory prince'. He invites her to fly to Venice in his plane, but Frances warns her against it. Meanwhile, Anita defies office regulations by spending a weekend with her Italian co-worker Giorgio Bianchi (Rossano Brazzi), who has fallen in love with her. Which of the three will get their wish?

Three Coins in the Fountain is based on a 1952 novel of the same name by American author John H. Secondari. It was adapted for the screen by American screenwriter John Patrick. The movie was remade in 1964 as The Pleasure Seekers (1964) and again in 1990 as Coins in the Fountain (1990).

The title song as shown during the opening credits is sung by Frank Sinatra.

That was the Fountain of Trevi, located in Rome, Italy. The name Trevi comes from "tre vie" ["three roads"] because it marks the juncture of three roads.

Very much so. A legend says that if a visitor tosses a coin into the fountain, they will return to Rome. As such, it is much like tossing a lei into the water when leaving Hawaii. If the lei floats towards the island, the visitor is assured of another visit.

At the beginning of the movie, only Maria Williams (Maggie McNamara) and Miss Frances (Dorothy McGuire) toss pennies into the fountain. Their companion, Anita Hutchins (Jean Peters), chooses not to toss a coin because she's planning to return to the United States in order to be married. Later, however, we learn that Georgio (Rossano Brazzi) also threw in a coin, making it three coins altogether.

Saltimbocca ("jumps in the mouth") alla Romana (Roman-style). Saltimbocca alla Romana is made by rolling prosciutto ham and sage inside a thin veal cutlet and cooking it in wine.

As Maria and Anita prepare to leave for the train station on their way back to the States, they get a phone call from Frances. She asks them to meet her at the Fountain of Trevi. When Maria and Anita get there, they are surprised to see that the fountain is empty of water, being cleaned..."clean out the old wishes to make room for the new", Maria quips. Frances arrives just as the fountain is turned back on. She comes bearing a surprise. She points in one direction, and Prince Dino (Louis Jourdan) comes rushing into Maria's arms. Frances points in the opposite direction, and Georgio appears. As Anita and Georgio embrace, John Shadwell (Clifton Webb) steps forward and puts his arm around Frances, apparently having decided to marry her anyway under the circumstances. The final scene shows the lovers hugging as the fountain fills with water. In short, all three got their wishes.

More romance in 1950s Italy can easily be found in Roman Holiday (1953), in which an immature princess sneaks away incognito to see Rome and returns a more mature ruler. School teachers find love in Italy while on vacation in Rome Adventure (1962) and in Summertime (1955). Surfers vacation in Italy in Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), In the somewhat less light-hearted Light in the Piazza (1962), a mother tries to prevent her beautiful, naïve, and retarded daughter from falling in love while traveling in Italy. A Roman journalist with a penchant for the good life has no lack of love interests in La Dolce Vita (1960). In Come September (1961), the owner of a large Italian villa returns for a vacation only to find that his villa has been turned into a hotel. All of these movies are gifted with beautiful shots of Italy's cities and countryside.

If your taste runs more toward contemporary movies, try Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), in which a divorcee buys a crumbling villa in Tuscany, or try Stealing Beauty (1996), in which a young girl travels to Italy to meet up with an old boyfriend and solve a mystery presented in her mother's diary. In Only You (1994), a schoolteacher travels to Venice to find her soul mate, while in Enchanted April (1991), four British women go to Italy on vacation and "find" themselves. In The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), Lizzie and her high school friends take a class trip to Rome. When in Rome (2010) tells a story of what might happen if someone takes a coin out of the fountain.