Rome may have finally reached its breaking point—at least when it comes to the number of visitors flocking to the Trevi Fountain. In anticipation of the 2025 Jubilee, the city council has announced that it is considering introducing an entry fee for the iconic attraction.
“The situation at the Trevi Fountain is becoming technically very difficult to manage,” Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri stated in a press conference yesterday.
Alessandro Onorato, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, elaborated on how the fee might be implemented. He suggested that the best way to manage the impact of overtourism and ensure the monument’s preservation would be through limited, timed, and pre-booked access to the fountain.
The 2025 Jubilee, a year-long Roman Catholic event, is expected to draw an astounding 32 million tourists and pilgrims to Rome. For comparison, nearly 7 million international visitors came to Rome in 2023, meaning the city’s already narrow and crowded streets are set to become even more congested.
According to officials, the proposed entry fees for the Trevi Fountain would not apply to Roman residents. Tourists, however, might be required to pay a fee of 1 or 2 euros.
Ironically, many visitors already “pay” when they visit the fountain by participating in the time-honored tradition of tossing a coin into its waters, a ritual said to ensure a return to the Eternal City. The city even employs a special service to collect the coins from the fountain’s bottom, which reportedly amounts to about 3,000 euros a day.
However, the proposed fee isn’t about raising revenue for the city. Instead, it’s a drastic measure aimed at better managing tourist flows and protecting the historic site from the pressures of overtourism.
So, tourists might want to prepare some extra coins before they make their wish at the Trevi Fountain in the near future.
