Officials in Rome are considering limiting access to one of the greatest tourist icons of the Eternal City, the Trevi Fountain, as overtourism threatens to harm the baroque monument.
Alessandro Onorato, a City Councillor, told local newspaper Corriere della Sera that access to the fountain might become limited, paid-for and timed.
While residents will be able to visit the fountain free, non-residents may need to pay €1-2 (R19-38) to access the monument.
According to Onorato, the fee would assist authorities to curb bad behaviour, including loitering, littering and leaving food on the historic fountain.
“We’ve decided to study and investigate this because the situation is becoming technically very difficult to manage,” said Rome's Mayor, Roberto Gualtieri. “Local police officers tell us this all the time: there is a concentration of people that makes adequate protection of the monument difficult.”
According to The Guardian, the famous attraction has experienced several incidents of misbehaviour. In 2017, officials started issuing fines to tourists who jumped into the fountain. In 2018, officials had to intervene in an eight-person brawl over the perfect selfie spot.
