The Italian capital is taking another step in managing its iconic landmarks. Starting this Monday, visitors will be charged an entrance fee for the immediate vicinity of the Trevi Fountain, a measure decided upon to manage visitor flow that had become difficult to control. For the past year, access to the monument has already been subject to restrictions on movement and capacity.
A two-euro ticket to get close to the monument
Tourists must now pay a two-euro entrance fee to access the area closest to the fountain. The City of Rome estimates that this measure could generate approximately 6,5 million euros in annual revenue. Residents of the Italian capital remain exempt from payment.
The site will continue to be viewable remotely for free, but the area closest to the pool is now reserved for ticket holders. This measure was announced in December by the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who explained that this new system was part of a broader reform affecting several cultural venues in the city.
Other sites affected by pricing
The city council has indeed planned to introduce tickets for a total of six sites. In addition to the Trevi Fountain, five other locations are included in the scheme: the Villa of Maxentius, the Napoleonic Museum of Rome, the Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture, the Carlo Bilotti Museum, and the Pietro Canonica Museum. The entrance fee for these cultural spaces is set at five euros.
A symbol of the Baroque and Italian cinema
Set against the facade of a palace, the Trevi Fountain is one of the major masterpieces of Baroque art in Rome. Its international renown also owes much to cinema, particularly to the now iconic scene in Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita," in which Anita Ekberg invites Marcello Mastroianni to join her in the water.
A popular tradition that is still maintained
Among the rituals associated with the monument, tossing a coin into the basin remains a must for visitors wishing to make a wish. This practice generates significant sums each week, collected by the authorities and then donated to the Caritas charity. Despite the introduction of an entrance fee, this tradition, deeply rooted in the tourist imagination of the Eternal City, persists.
