The Jubilee Year of Hope kicked off in Rome on Christmas Eve. This once-every-quarter-century celebration is organised by the Vatican, with events all across the city – and we recently it named the best thing to do in the world this year.
With millions of visitors expected to descend on the city, quite a lot of prep has gone into the event. Restorations of the city’s fountains left some tourists disappointed with the Trevi Fountain’s ‘ugly’ appearance back in November – but now the iconic attraction is looking more polished than ever, there could be more disappointment to come (if you’re impatient, that is).
It was rumoured in September that a ticketing system to tackle ‘the lack of respect’ exhibited by tourists might be implemented, and now we’ve got some more information.
Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, announced on December 22 that a queuing system has been installed at the popular attraction to ‘allow everyone to better enjoy the fountain, without crowds or confusion,’ according to the Express.
Though previously between 10-12,000 visitors head to the landmark each day, now a maximum of only 400 visitors will be allowed in at any one time.
Gualtieri also said that city authorities were considering charging an entry fee (but only of €2, according to ABC news) for a 30-minute slot to help cover the costs of maintaining the fountain, but that hasn’t been confirmed just yet.
The announcement comes after the reopening of the fountain, which was closed for a three-month, €326,000 restoration project – which spurred the creation of some hilarious Tiktoks.
For more information about the Jubilee Year of Hope, have a look at our guide, and for more on the very best things to do in Rome, have a look at our list.
Did you see that the world’s best cuisines have been crowned – and Italy lost out on the top spot?
Plus: These are the world’s best ‘winter wonderlands’, according to The Telegraph.
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