How much will it cost to walk up and flip a coin?

See the Trevi Fountain up closea jewel of the Roman baroque and a destination for tourists from all over the world, and comply with the tradition of tossing a coin will cost 2 euros to “guarantee a unique experience” to its more than 10,000 visitors dailya measure that, surprisingly, many tourists seem to support.

The unexpected announcement by the Councilor for Tourism of Rome, Alessandro Onorato, has raised a cloud of dust when Rome, the most visited capital city in Europe in 2023 with 50 million tourists, is preparing to receive another 30 million in 2025 for the Jubilee. And the City Council wants to have the measure ready by then.

“We want guarantee a unique experiencespecial and serene to all visitors, who today unfortunately when they arrive at the Trevi Fountain have to deal with the total chaos“, explains Onorato, emphasizing that the first objective of the entry is “protect an extraordinary monument“.

The famous fountain, a monumental Baroque work integrated into the façade of the Renaissance ‘Palazzo Poli’, can continue to be viewed for free from afarbut whoever wants to go down the steps, observe it up close and throw a coin will have to reserve a 2-euro ticket, except for the Romans, for whom it will continue to be free.

Between 10,000 and 12,000 people visit each day This fountain has become a global icon thanks to cinema.

“Tourists who rush to take a selfie, others who eat without worrying about not littering around them and there are those who, to go viral on social networks with a video, he decides to jump into the water,” laments the councilor.

The fountain, raised in 1762 on one of the aqueducts of ancient Rome commissioned by Pope Clement

“The money raised will be dedicated to create new jobsas assistants to better manage the flow of visitors, and protect the monument,” says Onorato.

A very different destination from that of the coins thrown by tourists from all over the world, close to a million euros a year, according to sources from the Rome City Council, which is donated to the humanitarian organization Caritas.

Onorato confirmed that in the coming days he will meet with the mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, who has already shown his support, and with the local police to study closure measureswhile opinions are divided regarding an initiative that tourists seem to accept better than expected.

“I would pay if I had the privilege of seeing it better, now it is almost impossible to get a good view“says Linda, from the Netherlands, in front of the fountain. Beatriz, from the Spanish city of Córdoba, agrees with her: “It wouldn’t be so crowded.”

Italian visitors, however, complainand Elena, from Calabria (south), defends that “whoever visits Rome has the right to see the Trevi Fountain without having to pay.”

“They have already set up many payment points in Rome, it seems excessive to me,” laments Raffaella from Bergamo (north).

The measure proposed by Onorato also aims to “tourism is more compatible with the life of the Romans and the city”since the touristification of the historic center endangers small neighborhood businesses and artisan workshops.

Rome will surpass the record of 50 million visits of 2023 this year and in 2025 the number of tourists will increase by another 30 due to the Jubilee, the pilgrimage to the papal basilicas of Rome that is organized every 25 years and that has immersed the city in works.

“They are not random numbers, but the result of a policy based on major sporting and cultural events,” explains Onorato, who also values reduce the number of tourist rentalswhich has almost doubled in Rome from 17,000 in 2018 to more than 30,000 today.

Payment to see the Trevi Fountain “must be complement with other actions“because “tourism is fundamental for our economy, it generates wealth and jobs, but it must be made sustainable for the city, its historic center and its residents,” he concludes.

Carmen Jaquete Roma / EFE