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| Fendi throws coins in Rome's crumbling Trevi fountain | Fendi throws coins in Rome's crumbling Trevi fountain |
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| For decades the Trevi fountain has conjured up the image of a doe-eyed Anita Ekberg cavorting at night in an evening dress and fur stole. From now on, however, another, somewhat less playful, character may be linked to the monument's fate: Karl Lagerfeld. | For decades the Trevi fountain has conjured up the image of a doe-eyed Anita Ekberg cavorting at night in an evening dress and fur stole. From now on, however, another, somewhat less playful, character may be linked to the monument's fate: Karl Lagerfeld. |
| With a studiedly solemn air, the fashion designer swept into Rome's Capitoline Museums on Monday as Fendi, the Italian luxury goods brand of which he is a creative director, announced that it would be funding a €2.18m (£1.87m) restoration of the crumbling baroque masterpiece. | With a studiedly solemn air, the fashion designer swept into Rome's Capitoline Museums on Monday as Fendi, the Italian luxury goods brand of which he is a creative director, announced that it would be funding a €2.18m (£1.87m) restoration of the crumbling baroque masterpiece. |
| Lagerfeld, who will be producing a series of photographs of famous Roman monuments to accompany the renovation, posed in dark glasses for the photographers before taking his seat beneath the museums' emblematic Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius. | Lagerfeld, who will be producing a series of photographs of famous Roman monuments to accompany the renovation, posed in dark glasses for the photographers before taking his seat beneath the museums' emblematic Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius. |
| With the air of a modern-day emperor riding to the rescue of a much-loved piece of Italian heritage, whose state the authorities have described as critical, he said: "It's a great idea. It's a great project, because this fountain is famous in all the world, like the Colosseum or St Peter's, and I'm happy that we can all help." | With the air of a modern-day emperor riding to the rescue of a much-loved piece of Italian heritage, whose state the authorities have described as critical, he said: "It's a great idea. It's a great project, because this fountain is famous in all the world, like the Colosseum or St Peter's, and I'm happy that we can all help." |
| Unveiling the renovation, which is expected to take 20 months to complete, Pietro Beccari, Fendi's chairman and CEO, said the deal was about reinforcing the brand's historic links with Rome, where it started as a modest handbag and fur shop in the years between the world wars. "There is an element of giving back to the city that has hosted us since 1925," he said. | Unveiling the renovation, which is expected to take 20 months to complete, Pietro Beccari, Fendi's chairman and CEO, said the deal was about reinforcing the brand's historic links with Rome, where it started as a modest handbag and fur shop in the years between the world wars. "There is an element of giving back to the city that has hosted us since 1925," he said. |
| The company will also help fund renovation work on Le Quattro Fontane (the Four Fountains) to the tune of €320,000, bringing the overall Fendi donation to €2.5m. Speaking at the press conference, Lagerfeld said the city's fountains were "there to glorify water, which is the most important thing in life". | The company will also help fund renovation work on Le Quattro Fontane (the Four Fountains) to the tune of €320,000, bringing the overall Fendi donation to €2.5m. Speaking at the press conference, Lagerfeld said the city's fountains were "there to glorify water, which is the most important thing in life". |
| In return for the funding, Fendi will be able to display its logo on building site signs during the repairs, and will be thanked by the city of Rome in a plaque to be hung for up to four years near the restored fountains once the work is complete. The Trevi fountain project is expected to be finished by 2015. | In return for the funding, Fendi will be able to display its logo on building site signs during the repairs, and will be thanked by the city of Rome in a plaque to be hung for up to four years near the restored fountains once the work is complete. The Trevi fountain project is expected to be finished by 2015. |
| Fendi is the latest high-profile Italian fashion house to help out with the upkeep of some of the country's precious but dilapidated cultural treasures. The Diesel jeans founder, Renzo Rosso, is planning to cover a €5m renovation of the Rialto bridge, in Venice, in return for an extensive advertising campaign, while the luxury shoemaker Tod's has struck a deal to finance a €25m renovation project at the Colosseum, although its progress has been held up by legal wranglings. | Fendi is the latest high-profile Italian fashion house to help out with the upkeep of some of the country's precious but dilapidated cultural treasures. The Diesel jeans founder, Renzo Rosso, is planning to cover a €5m renovation of the Rialto bridge, in Venice, in return for an extensive advertising campaign, while the luxury shoemaker Tod's has struck a deal to finance a €25m renovation project at the Colosseum, although its progress has been held up by legal wranglings. |
| Calling for a resolution to that dispute "as soon as possible", Rome's mayor, Giovanni Alemanno, said the deals showed "the importance of co-operation between public and private support". He added: "Without similar initiatives, we won't be able to save the cultural memory of our country." | Calling for a resolution to that dispute "as soon as possible", Rome's mayor, Giovanni Alemanno, said the deals showed "the importance of co-operation between public and private support". He added: "Without similar initiatives, we won't be able to save the cultural memory of our country." |
| With the arrival of the economic crisis, cuts have left some parts of Italy's spectacular cultural heritage struggling for funds, and the strain is starting to show. The urgency of the Trevi fountain project became clear last summer, when chunks of stone and plaster fell off its facade and emergency repairs costing €320,000 were carried out. The authorities then undertook a survey of the fountain. Alarmed by what it revealed, they launched an appeal to large companies and private individuals to fund "an act of social patronage". | With the arrival of the economic crisis, cuts have left some parts of Italy's spectacular cultural heritage struggling for funds, and the strain is starting to show. The urgency of the Trevi fountain project became clear last summer, when chunks of stone and plaster fell off its facade and emergency repairs costing €320,000 were carried out. The authorities then undertook a survey of the fountain. Alarmed by what it revealed, they launched an appeal to large companies and private individuals to fund "an act of social patronage". |
| As part of the Fendi makeover, the Trevi's facade and statues will be cleaned and its basin given a fresh waterproofing. Tourists, for whom dropping a penny into the fountain is one of the staples of a trip to Rome, will be able to visit throughout the works. | As part of the Fendi makeover, the Trevi's facade and statues will be cleaned and its basin given a fresh waterproofing. Tourists, for whom dropping a penny into the fountain is one of the staples of a trip to Rome, will be able to visit throughout the works. |
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