A Friend in Need is Fendi Indeed: Italian House to Restore Trevi Fountain

Fontana di Trevi

Karl Lagerfeld at the press conference announcing Fendi's plans to restore the Trevi Fountain

Fendi for Fountains: in a massive philanthropic (and public relations) undertaking, the House of Fendi has announced that it will foot the bill for the complete overhaul of the famed Trevi Fountain in Rome.

Helmed by head designer Karl Lagereld and Silvia Venturini Fendi, the project will take about 20 months and will involve scrubbing and buffing the façade and statues clean, re-waterproofing the main basin and replacing the gilded Latin inscriptions to their former baroque glory.

Karl Lagerfeld, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Pietro Beccari and Gianni Alemanno

Fendi says its spate of fountain restoration projects - the House is also donating another US$430,000 to restore the Quattro Fontane - stems from its deep respect and appreciation of Rome’s culture, the city's affinity with Fendi's aesthetic and the growing realization of the need to preserve the fabled capital's storied past for future generations.

View highlights from the press conference below - including a very spiffy Karl Lagerfeld swathed in leather mesh gloves - and scroll through for more images from the press event.