Rome’s Trevi Fountain has introduced a €2 (£1.70) access fee for tourists, a measure aimed at managing overcrowding and funding maintenance. The fee, in effect from 11:30am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 10pm at weekends, applies only to those who descend the steps to the basin. More than 10 million people visited the fountain last year.
Residents of Rome, disabled visitors, and children under six are exempt from the charge. Officials estimate the fee will generate €6.5m annually, which will be reinvested in the fountain and other city monuments. Payment can be made in cash, by contactless card, or online.
Tourists had mixed reactions. Teresa Romero from Portugal called the fee “normal”, saying preservation was paramount. However, Irma Pavitashvili from Georgia argued the fountain should be free, a sentiment echoed by US tourist Alma Peterson, who said history should be accessible without charge.
Rome’s tourism chief, Alessandro Onorato, defended the fee as a “healthy revolution”, noting the chaos before its introduction. He remarked that similar sites abroad would charge far more. The fee follows a trend of charging for previously free attractions in Italy, including the Pantheon (€5) and Venice’s day-tripper levy.
