Planning To Visit Rome's Iconic Trevi Fountain? Read This First

Rome is considering limiting access to the Trevi Fountain, one of its busiest monuments, ahead of an expected bumper year for tourism in the “Eternal City,” city council officials say.

The Italian capital is preparing to host the 2025 Jubilee, a year-long Roman Catholic event expected to attract 32 million tourists and pilgrims. Under the draft plans, visits to the fountain would require a prior reservation, with fixed time slots and a limited number of people allowed to access the steps around it.

A tourism counciller said that while Romans would be able to access the Trevi Fountain for free, non-residents would be asked to make a symbolic contribution of one or two euros (INR 93-186). The mayor said that measures to curb tourist numbers remained a concrete possibility as the situation at the Trevi Fountain was becoming very difficult to manage.

The Trevi Fountain—where legend has it that if you can toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain with your back toward it, you will be able to visit Rome again—has long been a major attraction. Completed in 1762, the monument is a late Baroque masterpiece, with Triton statues guiding the shell chariot of the god Oceanus, illustrating the theme of the taming of the waters.

Other cities are facing protests over problems brought by so-called overtourism, such as Venice, where local authorities are charging day-trippers admission fees.

More About The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain, located at the intersection of three roads (tre vie), marks the endpoint of the modern Acqua Vergine, a revival of the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct that once supplied water to Rome. In 19 BC, Roman engineers, allegedly guided by a virgin, discovered a pure water source 13 km from the city. This scene is depicted on the fountain’s façade. The aqueduct’s indirect route extended to 22 km, channelling water to the Baths of Agrippa and serving Rome for over 400 years.

In the 6th century AD, the aqueducts fell into disrepair, and the 14 operational ones were damaged during the Ostrogoth invasion. Despite the damage from the Goths’ siege in 537, the Acqua Vergine continued to function through the Middle Ages, with restorations recorded as early as the 8th century and again in the 12th century. During this time, the conduit was connected to additional sources near the city, known as “Trebium.”

Today, the Acqua Vergine still supplies water to the Trevi Fountain, sourced from 10 km away. The fountain underwent refurbishments in 1988 and 1998 to address smog discolouration and structural deterioration. In 2013, Fendi sponsored a comprehensive restoration of the fountain.

(With inputs from multiple news agencies)