"Pay to Toss Coins"…Why Is Rome's Trevi Fountain Considering Charging Fees?

Rome, Italy, Proposes Charging Fee for Trevi Fountain
1-2 Euro Fee for Tourists and Introduction of Advance Reservations
"Not for Profit, Visitor Control Needed"

In the future, visitors may have to pay a small admission fee to see the Trevi Fountain, one of the representative tourist attractions in Rome, Italy. On the 7th (local time), the British newspaper The Guardian reported, "Recently, Alessandro Onorato, Rome's city councilor in charge of tourism, expressed support for implementing a reservation system at the Trevi Fountain, setting entry conditions and time limits, and adopting a new approach."

Coins collected from the Trevi Fountain last April. [Image source=Xinhua News Agency]

Local authorities are reportedly considering keeping the Trevi Fountain free for Rome residents while charging tourists 1 to 2 euros (approximately 1,500 to 3,000 KRW). They plan to introduce a paid reservation system that allows only a limited number of people to access the Trevi Fountain during designated time slots. Councilor Onorato explained, "The purpose of the admission fee is not for profit but to control the number of visitors."

The reason for considering charging admission to the Trevi Fountain, which has been free until now, is that the overwhelming number of tourists has made management difficult. Millions of tourists visit annually, and especially next year, with the Catholic Jubilee Year approaching, about 32 million tourists and pilgrims from around the world are expected to flock to Rome. The Jubilee, which occurs every 25 years, is a holy year in the Catholic Church during which special spiritual graces are bestowed upon believers.

Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome, described the measure to limit visitors to the Trevi Fountain as a "very concrete possibility," adding, "The situation at the Trevi Fountain is becoming technically quite difficult to manage."

The Trevi Fountain, standing 26 meters tall and depicting figures from Greek mythology, is a Baroque architectural work completed in 1762 according to the design of architect Niccol? Salvi. It is named "Trevi" because it is located where three roads (tre via) meet. There is a popular belief that if you stand with your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand, you will return to Rome, which has led tourists worldwide to toss coins into the fountain. The scene of actress Audrey Hepburn throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain in the movie "Roman Holiday" is famous.

According to the local Rome daily Il Messaggero, about 1.6 million euros (approximately 2.3 billion KRW) worth of coins were collected from the Trevi Fountain last year. This was a record high, surpassing the previous peak of 1.43 million euros (about 2 billion KRW) in 2022. Local authorities collect coins three times a week, then clean and sort them before donating the proceeds to the Catholic charity organization Caritas. Caritas uses the donations, after deducting about 6% for operating costs, to help impoverished families and Alzheimer's patients. Foreign currency is exchanged into euros before donation.