Tourists heading to Rome’s Trevi Fountain will soon need more than a lucky coin toss, as the city moves to charge a small entry fee for close-up access to the iconic landmark made famous by La Dolce Vita.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told a news conference that their aim is to manage visitor flows, protect the monument, which is a traditional wishing well, and improve the quality of its experience.
According to the Rome municipality, the site averages 30,000 visits per day, with peaks of 70,000, for a total of over 9 million visitors per year.
To improve traffic management and protect the monument, improvements to the fencing will be carried out.
Other sites that will charge an entry fee are the Villa of Maxentius, the Napoleonic Museum, Carlo Bilotti Museum, Bilotti Museum, and Canonica Museum.
Gualtieri said all museums and monuments will remain free of charge for residents of Rome and its metropolitan area, the disabled and children up to age five.
Pope Urban VIII initially commissioned the fountain in 1640. In 1730, Pope Clement XII revived the project and the current fountain corresponds to the original designs of Roman architect Nicola Salvi.
The towering fountain features at the Titan god flanked by falls cascading down the travertine rocks into a shallow turquoise pool, where Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg famously took their nighttime dip in "La Dolce Vita."
While bathing is prohibited nowadays, legend has it that visitors who toss a coin over their shoulders and make a wish will return to Rome.
