'Have No Problem To Pay': Tourists As Rome Levies Visitor's Fee At Trevi Fountain

Italy’s Trevi Fountain on Monday launched the ticketing system for people wanting to get close to the fountain’s basin, making the famous Rome landmark the latest tourist site to charge entry in a bid to raise funds and battle overcrowding.

According to Reuters, the charge applies only to visitors who walk down the stone steps to get close to the fountain’s basin. The surrounding square, which offers views of the landmark, will remain accessible free of cost.

The fee of 2 Euro (Rs 216) will be levied from 11:30 am to 10 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 10 pm on weekends. However, the residents of Rome, people with disabilities along with their companions and children under 6 are exempt from the charges.

Every year, the Trevi Fountain witnesses lakhs

of tourists. According to Reuters, the authorities said over 10 million people visited the fountain in the December 2024-December 2025 period, which largely coincided with a Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, which drew about 33.5 million pilgrims to Rome.

Also Read: 7 Popular Destinations Where Tourists Must Pay Entry Or Stay Taxes

Traditionally, visitors toss a coin into the water of the Trevi Fountain to guarantee their return to Rome. Completed in 1762, the monument is a late Baroque masterpiece depicting Oceanus, the god of all water, symbolising the varying moods of the world’s seas and rivers.

Though the tourists on Monday were surprised with the fees but they seemed to have “no problem with that”.

“I didn’t know that we had to pay, but I have no problem with that,” Reuters quoted Argentine tourist Valentina De Vicentis, one of those affected by the new fee.

“There are less people in here, so I think that’s good, because if not, there are a lot of people and you can’t take pictures and you can’t stay (for a long) time and enjoy,” she added.

“Tell me it’s not worth two euros! It’s worth thousands if not millions, it’s beautiful!” 41-year-old Polish tourist Agata Harezlak told AFP.

According to AFP, the earnings will go in part to pay for the 25 blue-vested stewards hired to staff the ticket office and usher people through the gated area at the top of the steps and down to the basin.

Rome’s council member for tourism Alessandro Onorato told reporters that the funds raised will allow the locals to freely access several museums in Rome.

So far, visitor fees have been introduced at Rome’s ancient Pantheon, the entire city of Venice during the peak travel season and on a temporary basis, the courtyard in Verona with the balcony associated with Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Reuters reported.