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Teresa Romero is in Rome to celebrate a milestone birthday and one of the first things she did on Monday was visit the Trevi fountain to participate in the ritual of tossing a coin into the waters of the late baroque masterpiece.
But before the Portuguese tourist could get close to the fountain, she had to hand over €2 (£1.70) – the cost of an access fee that has finally been enacted by Rome council officials after years of discussions.
“I think it’s normal and €2 is nothing – the price of a coffee,” Romero said as she left the monument. “The most important thing is to preserve history.”
The aim of the charge, which applies between 11.30am and 10pm on weekdays and from 9am to 10pm at weekends, is to help authorities manage the crowds better and raise funds to pay for the fountain’s upkeep. More than 10 million people visited the Trevi in 2025 alone.
The payment is only for visitors who walk down the fountain’s steps to reach the basin. They can enjoy as much time there as they please, tossing coins over their shoulders in a ritual that is said to guarantee a return to the Eternal City, and posing for selfies. They can’t eat, drink or smoke in the area of the basin. People who live in Rome are exempt from the fee, as are people with disabilities and children under the age of six.
The feewas forecast to bring in €6.5m a year, money that would be used to invest in the fountain and other monuments in the Italian capital.
Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s tourism chief, described the measure as “a healthy revolution”. “Until a year ago, visiting the Trevi fountain was an absurd experience,” he said in reference to the huge crowds who would gather at the basin, some of whom would jump in.
The Trevi fountain’s white marble sparkled under a clear blue sky on the first day of the access fee and most people appeared happy to pay it, either in cash or through contactless payment machines. Tickets can also be bought online.
But there were grumbles among some. “This isn’t a good thing at all,” said Irma Pavitashvili, a tourist from Georgia, as she walked away from the monument after being asked for €2. “This fountain should be for everyone.”
Alma Peterson, a visitor from the US, agreed. “It’s not right to charge people – this is history, it should be free.”
Onorato shrugged off the complaints. “I think tourists were shocked by the fact that the city of Rome is only asking for €2 for a site of this level,” he said. “If the Trevi fountain had been in New York, they would have asked for €100, not €2.”
As visitor numbers to Rome and across Italy rise rapidly, charges to visit popular sites that were previously free are becoming increasingly normal.
Since 2023, a €5 fee has been in place at the Pantheon, which was built by the Roman emperor Hadrian and is famous for its oculus – the hole in its giant dome. Day trippers to Venice must pay a fee to enter the city during peak season and, since December, tourists have to pay to enter the courtyard in Verona associated with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
