Rome will limit access to the Trevi Fountain during the Vatican's Jubilee Year 2025, the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri said on Monday, ahead of the possible introduction of an entry fee.
Gualtieri announced that maintenance works have got underway at the landmark which will initially be surrounded by transparent panels and, within a month, a "horseshoe-shaped walkway" will be installed temporarily over the water to offer visitors an "unprecedented view" of the Baroque monument.
Tourists will still be able to throw coins into a "basket" from the walkway, Gualtieri said, but they will no longer be allowed to eat food while visiting the fountain which dates to 1762.
The maintenance works and cleaning of the iconic fountain, which comes a decade after a major restoration sponsored by fashion house Fendi, is set to be completed by the end of this year.
The project will act as a trial run for managing the flow of tourists which the city will start to limit some time around the turn of the new year.
"The construction site, and in particular the walkway" - explained Gualtieri - "will be an opportunity to test the methods of limited access and the maximum number of people who can remain in the lower basin, while the upper part of the piazza will remain freely accessible".
There will be no turnstiles or fixed barriers: access will be controlled by on-site staff who will open the cordons at the entrances to let visitors in a little at a time.
The maximum number of people allowed will be established after the experimental phase when the city will evaluate whether to introduce a ticketing system and a "small contribution" for entry, Gualtieri said.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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