ROME, ITALY – Tourists will soon have to pay a €2 entrance fee to get close to Rome’s Trevi Fountain, officials said in a bid to tackle overtourism.
The Baroque masterpiece, located in a public square, will remain viewable from a distance for
free, but closer access will be exclusively for ticket holders.
“From February we are introducing a paid ticket for six sites in the Italian capital, including
the Trevi Fountain,” Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told a press conference.
Entrance to the other five sites will cost €5 or R97,99.
The backdrop to the most famous scene in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita, when actress
Anita Ekberg takes a dip, the 18th-century fountain is top of the list for many visitors
exploring the Eternal City.
Making a wish and tossing a coin into the water is such a strong tradition that authorities
collect thousands of euros a week to donate to the Caritas charity.
Crowds in the square surrounding the fountain are often so dense that it is hard to get a proper look. Gualtieri said the vast numbers created a “gridlock” caused by “the famous problem of overtourism”.
Hundreds of tourists can usually be seen milling around the fountain, many holding phones
aloft to snap pictures.
Between 1 January and 8 December, some nine million tourists have visited the area just in
front of the fountain – an average of 30 000 people a day, Gualtieri said. The area has been targeted by pickpockets, and Rome officials have debated different ways of regulating access for years.
Rome residents will be allowed free access.
City hall estimates the access ticket to the Trevi Fountain could bring in 6.5 million euros a
year, Gualtieri said. Tickets can be bought online or at the fountain with cards or other contactless payment methods, officials said.
There will be separate queues for people who already have a ticket and those buying them on
the spot.
This is not the first time Italian authorities have introduced tariffs for monuments.
The Pantheon – a church and former Roman temple – began charging visitors in 2023, and
Venice last year introduced a tourist entry fee during peak periods.
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