Take a close look at the Trevi Fountain, jewel of Roman Baroque and a destination for tourists from all over the world, and respects the tradition of tossing a coin will cost 2 euros to “guarantee a unique experience” to its more than 10,000 daily visitors, a measure that, surprisingly, many tourists seem to support.
The unexpected announcement from the Councilor for Tourism of Rome, Alessandro Onoratohas raised a dust storm as the Italian capital, the most visited in Europe in 2023 with 50 million tourists, prepares to receive an additional 30 million in 2025 for the Jubilee. And the city council wants the measure to be ready by then.
“We want to guarantee a unique, special and serene experience to all visitors, who today unfortunately, when they arrive at the Trevi Fountain, have to face total chaos,” Onorato told Efe, stressing that the first objective of the entrance is “to protect an extraordinary monument.”
A global icon in chaos
The famous fountain, a monumental Baroque work integrated into the façade of the Renaissance “Palazzo Poli”, can continue to be viewed for free from afarBut anyone who wants to go down the steps, observe it closely and throw a coin will have to reserve a two-euro note, except for the Romans, for whom it will continue to be free.
Between 10,000 to 12,000 people visit every day This fountain has become a global icon thanks to cinema: “Tourists who rush to take a selfie, others who eat without worrying about not causing damage around them and there are those who, to become viral on social networks with a video, decide to jump into the water”, deplores the city councilor.
The fountain, built in 1762 on one of the aqueducts of ancient Rome by order of Pope Clement.
“The money collected will be devoted to the creation of new jobs, as hostesses to better manage visitor flows, and protect the monument” said Onorato.
A destination very different from the coins thrown away by tourists from all over the world, almost a million euros a year, sources from the City of Rome confirmed to Efe, which are donated to the humanitarian organization. Caritas.
Tourists ready to pay
Onorato confirmed to Efe that in the coming days he will meet with the mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, who has already expressed his support, and with the local police to study the closure measures, while opinions are divided on an initiative that tourists seem to accept better than expected.
“I would pay if I had the privilege of seeing better, now it is almost impossible to have a good view,” says Linda, from the Netherlands, in front of the fountain, with whom Beatriz, from the Spanish city of Cordoba, agrees: “There wouldn’t be so many people.”
Italian visitors, however, complain, and Elena, from Calabria (south), defends that “anyone who visits Rome has the right to see the Trevi Fountain without having to pay.”
“They have already installed many payment points in Rome, “That seems excessive to me.”deplores Raffaella from Bergamo (north).
Towards more sustainable tourism
The measure proposed by Onorato also aims to “tourism is more compatible with the life of the Romans and the city”, Because the touristification of the historic center endangers small neighborhood businesses and artisan workshops.
This year Rome will surpass the record of 50 million visits of 2023 and in 2025 the number of tourists will increase by another 30 thanks to the Jubilee, the pilgrimage to the papal basilicas of Rome that is organized every 25 years and which has plunged the city into works.
“These are not random numbers, but the result of a policy based on major sporting and cultural events,” Onorato tells Efe, who is also considering reducing the number of tourist rentals, which has almost doubled in Rome, from 17,000 in 2018 to over 30,000 currently.
The payment to see the Trevi Fountain “must be complemented by other actions” because “tourism is fundamental for our economy, it generates wealth and jobs, but it must be made sustainable for the city, its historic center and its inhabitants,” he concludes.
