Bright idea

Even the Trevi Fountain needs repairs and upkeep, but what about all those coins tourists toss in to ensure a return trip to Rome? Someone had the bright idea to build a temporary pool to receive the coins, CNN reported on Nov. 5, but its position behind a tall fence covered in plastic is problematic — many hopeful tossers simply miss. The fountain nets about $1.6 million a year, which is donated to a Catholic charity called Caritas. Italians aren’t loving the temporary pool, either. One called it “The saddest thing I’ve seen in Italy in as long as I can remember.”