Picture Rome and there’s likely a few things that spring to mind: cacio e pepe, Aperol Spritz, endless churches, and almost definitely the Trevi Fountain. It’s up there with not only one of the most-visited spots in Italy but the whole world, and is as integral to the city’s image as the Colosseum and the Vatican.
Like much of Italy, Rome’s visitor numbers seem only to be going up, and the city welcomes a whopping 35 million tourists each year. And the Trevi Fountain gets very, very busy. So, in an attempt to curb the effects of overtourism and tackle the ‘lack of respect’ towards Nicola Salvi’s masterpiece, the city council is taking action.
‘Personally I would be in favour of looking at a new form of access, limited and timed, to the Trevi Fountain,’ said Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s city councillor responsible for tourism, according to Corriere della Sera.
Uh-oh – so it looks like the city council are considering a booking system going forward. If these plans go ahead, the scheme would involve a reservation system which is free for Romans and costs just €1 for tourists. The aim is not to raise money but instead to ease the crowds (where pick-pocketing is a big problem) and also restrict ‘eating ice cream or pizza on a monument that deserves the proper respect,’ according to euronews. Not too bad then.
‘It is a delicate, difficult issue, but sooner or later it must be addressed,’ a spokesperson for the municipality told AFP, ‘Tourism in Rome, which is reporting record numbers, must be made sustainable for the city and the environment.’
While Onorato is keen for the scheme to go ahead, nothing has been confirmed for sure just yet. However, with numbers only set to soar even higher in 2025, with the Jubilee, a year-long religious event taking place set to attract millions more, we wouldn’t be too surprised if a scheme like this goes ahead.
Italy’s battle with overtourism
Earlier this week, we reported that Italy is considering implementing a new nightly tourist tax, the price of which will be based on how much your accommodation costs, and earlier this year, Venice became the first-ever city to trial a fee for day-trippers.
Did you see that this Italian town is the cheapest place in Europe to buy beer?
Plus: Two dazzling major European cities will soon be connected by train.
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