ROME — Starting from Monday (Feb 2), tourists who wish to adhere to the tradition of tossing a coin into Rome's Trevi Fountain will be required to pay a new 2-euro (S$3) visitor fee.

The purpose of this fee is to manage overtourism and contribute to the maintenance of the monument. The fee is applicable only to visitors who descend the stone steps to approach the fountain's basin.

The square surrounding the fountain, which offers views of the landmark, will remain freely accessible to all.

The fee will be enforced from 11:30 am to 10 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 10 pm on weekends. According to regulations announced in December, Rome residents, individuals with disabilities and their companions, as well as children under 6, are exempt from the fee.

"I wasn't aware that we had to pay, but I don't mind," said Valentina De Vicentis, an Argentine tourist impacted by the new fee. She expressed her belief that the fee would help alleviate overcrowding.

"There are fewer people here now, so I think that's positive because otherwise, it gets really crowded and you can't take photos or spend a long time here enjoying the place."

The Trevi Fountain, where throwing a coin into the water is believed to ensure a return to Rome, has always been a top attraction in the city, even among visiting dignitaries.

It is famously remembered for the iconic scene in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, where Anita Ekberg enters the fountain and calls out to her co-star Marcello Mastroianni: "Marcello! Come here!"

Ten Million Visitors Annually

Authorities report that over 10 million individuals visited the fountain between December 2024 and December 2025, coinciding with a Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, which attracted around 33.5 million pilgrims to Rome.

Supplied by an ancient Roman aqueduct and finalized in 1762, the Trevi Fountain represents a late Baroque masterpiece portraying Oceanus, the god of all water, symbolizing the diverse moods of the world's seas and rivers.

Due to the escalating tourism in Rome and throughout Italy, visitor fees have been implemented at numerous cultural sites.

These include Rome's historic Pantheon, the entirety of Venice during peak travel seasons, and temporarily, the courtyard in Verona featuring the balcony associated with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.