Rome installs elevated walkway in front of Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain walkway to remain in place until end of the year.Rome has installed an elevated walkway across the front of the Trevi Fountain as the Baroque monument undergoes maintenance work ahead of the Vatican's Jubilee Year 2025.Workers were busy completing the temporary structure on Tuesday in front of hordes of tourists who are being kept at bay by barriers for the duration of the works which are scheduled to finish by the end of this year.City authorities say the raised walkway will offer visitors an "unprecedented view" of the fountain, which is currently drained, however many tourists arriving at the Trevi Fountain in recent weeks have expressed their disappointment at finding the landmark sealed off.The city has attempted to keep alive the tradition of tossing coins into the fountain by creating a makeshift tub which has been poorly received by tourists and Romans who have dubbed it a "municipal swimming pool".The tossed coins, which normally add up to add up to around €1.5 million each year, are collected by the Caritas charity which uses the funds to help Rome's homeless people and families in need.The maintenance works and cleaning of the iconic fountain comes a decade after the monument underwent a major restoration sponsored by fashion house Fendi.After the barriers and the “swimming pool” for coins, Rome installs a raised walkway across the front of the Trevi Fountain to offer crowds a rare close-up view of the monument while it undergoes maintenance work. pic.twitter.com/GfOAUO2hzE— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) November 5, 2024Rome's mayor Roberto Gualtieri confirmed last month that the city will limit access to the Trevi Fountain once the maintenance work is complete, with tourists admitted through cordons operated by on-site staff.The maximum amount of people allowed at a time will be established after the trial phase in the new year however Gualtieri has suggested that this number could be around 100.The move comes as the city steps closer to introducing an entry fee to visit the 18th-century fountain, described by Gualtieri as "a small contribution" and expected to be €2.Rome residents will be excluded from paying the proposed entry fee.Under the plan, the number of people visiting the lower basin area of the monument will be controlled while the upper part of the piazza will remain freely accessible.Rome tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato said the maintenance project would offer a "concrete opportunity" to trial the new visiting system as part of efforts to offer tourists a "less chaotic" experience.He also said that eating at the monument would be no longer be tolerated.The Trevi Fountain, which dates to 1762, has become extremely overcrowded in recent years and is regularly the scene of tourists behaving badly, from jumping into the water to jostling for space to take selfies.The planned entry fee comes as Rome and the Vatican prepare to welcome more than 30 million tourists and pilgrims to the Eternal City for the Jubilee Year.Last year a €5 entry fee was introduced at the Pantheon, Italy's most visited landmark, generating almost €1 million in its first month of ticket sales.Photo Wanted in Rome, 5 November 2024.