Access Restricted Until Year-End Due to Maintenance Work
Renovation for Catholic Jubilee Preparation
The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, a world-renowned tourist attraction, will be closed to the public until the end of the year due to maintenance work.
According to ANSA and other news agencies, Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, announced on the 7th (local time) that a major special maintenance project for the Trevi Fountain will begin.
Since the morning of that day, orange mesh fences have been installed around the Trevi Fountain to block tourists' access. The maintenance work aims to remove limestone deposits accumulated at the base of the fountain and to fill cracks, and it is scheduled to continue until the end of the year.
The authorities are undertaking the renovation of the Trevi Fountain because the Catholic Jubilee Year is approaching. The Jubilee Year is a sacred year in the Catholic Church during which special spiritual graces are granted to believers. In anticipation of the regular Jubilee Year, which occurs every 25 years and will take place next year, the authorities expect about 32 million tourists and pilgrims from around the world to visit Rome. This Jubilee Year will begin on December 24 of this year and end on January 6, 2026.
The authorities plan to drain the fountain water and start thorough cleaning work in a month. Instead, a temporary walkway will be installed over the fountain for visitors. Mayor Gualtieri explained that visitors will be able to admire the masterpiece sculptures up close through this walkway, an unprecedented opportunity. A similar temporary walkway was installed over the Trevi Fountain during the 18-month restoration project in 2014.
Mayor Gualtieri also mentioned that after the completion of the Trevi Fountain maintenance, they are considering charging a small entrance fee for tourists. Earlier, Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s city councilor in charge of tourism, said in an interview with Il Messaggero last month that an entrance fee of up to 2 euros (about 3,000 won) would be charged to visitors of the Trevi Fountain. Councilor Onorato explained that the purpose of the entrance fee is not for profit but to regulate the number of visitors.
Completed in 1762, the Trevi Fountain is a masterpiece of late Baroque style and a famous landmark in Rome, attracting millions of tourists annually. Named Trevi because it is located where three roads (tre via) meet, it is famous worldwide for the superstition that if you stand with your back to the fountain and toss a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand, you will return to Rome. Actress Audrey Hepburn also tossed a coin here in the 1953 film "Roman Holiday."
The city of Rome reportedly earns over 2 billion won annually from coins thrown by tourists. Mayor Gualtieri said that coin baskets will be provided so that tourists can toss coins and make wishes.
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