Rome may limit access to Trevi fountain to halt the effects of overtourism

Officials are considering whether to limit access to the Trevi fountain, as Rome grapples with the impact of overtourism on the baroque masterpiece.

- Ashifa Kassam

"Personally I would be in favour of looking at a new form of access, limited and timed, to the Trevi fountain," Alessandro Onorato, the city councillor responsible for tourism, told the newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Access would most likely be free for residents while others would be asked to make a "symbolic" contribution of €1-2, he said. The aim would not be to raise money, but to better control the masses who descend daily on the monument, curbing behaviour such as loitering and snacking in a place that "deserves respect".