Rome authorities considering curbing access to the Trevi Fountain
Any traveler who visits Rome will likely visit the Trevi Fountain, but access to this historic and baroque masterpiece might not be as easy as it was in the past. Rome’s authorities are contemplating limiting access to the fountain which is a magnet for tourists, TikTokers, Instagram influencers and more.
Speaking to the local newspaper Corriere della Sera (per The Guardian) Alessandro Onorato, the city councilor responsible for tourism in the city said:
Personally, I would be in favor of looking at a new form of access, limited and timed, to the Trevi fountain.
Residents can visit the fountain for free
While a charge will be levied, reportedly the goal of the entrance fee is not to raise money for the city. The new system is intended to control the hordes of tourists that surround the fountain from dawn until sundown, and even late in the evening.
To curb the actions of disrespectful tourists
Quite honestly, wouldn’t it be better for tourists themselves if they could visit the site with less crowds?
According to Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, measures planned to curb tourist numbers were “a very concrete possibility,” adding that several possible solutions are being discussed. He said:
We’ve decided to study and investigate this because the situation is becoming technically very difficult to manage. Local police officers tell us this all the time: there is a concentration of people that makes adequate protection of the monument difficult and is also often a source of degradation.
Protecting the Trevi Fountain for Rome’s 2025 Jubilee
However, this latest news joins a growing number of efforts to curb overtourism in the world and is also prompted by a history of tourists behaving disrespectfully at the fountain. Back in 2017, Rome began fining tourists for bad behavior after they started frolicking in the fountain water. Moreover, 2018 saw an eight-person fight over, of all things, the perfect selfie for social media.
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