Tourists flock in their tens of thousands every day to visit the world-famous 18th-century Trevi Fountain, one of Rome’s most visited spots.
Commissioned by Pope Clement XII in 1730 and built by Italian architect Nicola Salvi on the facade of the Poli Palace, the fountain has been closed for three months as part of a £271,000 restoration project.
On an average day, between 10,000 and 12,000 tourists used to visit the Trevi Fountain, but a new queuing system has been installed to prevent large crowds from massing near the landmark. Now, only 400 visitors will be allowed at a time.
The limit will “allow everyone to better enjoy the fountain, without crowds or confusion,” said Rome’s Mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, on Sunday (December 22).
Gualtieri also said city authorities were considering charging a modest entry price to finance the fountain’s upkeep. According to ABC News, visitors must book online and pay two euros (£1.66) to enter and view the fountain for 30 minutes.
Sunday’s re-opening was attended by several hundred tourists, many of whom followed the mayor by throwing a coin into the fountain.
The three-month cleaning project involved removing mould and calcium build-up.
The fountain and other key city sites have been cleaned ahead of the Roman Catholic Church’s jubilee, which begins on Christmas Eve.
The city is expecting 33 million people to attend the opening of the Jubilee Holy Year, which the Church organises roughly every 25 years.
Its poor structural condition was exposed in 2012 when bits of its elaborate cornice began falling off after an especially harsh winter. The following year, it required a multi-million euro renovation.
Frank Sinatra’s Three Coins in the Fountain made the tradition of throwing coins into the fountain famous in the 1954 romantic comedy of the same name.
Making a wish and tossing a coin into the water is such a tradition that the city authorities used to collect around 10,000 euros (£8,300) a week.
The money was donated to a charity that provides meals for the poor.
According to legend, the water source was discovered in 19 BC by thirsty Roman soldiers directed to the site by a young virgin – hence its name, Virgin Waters.
During the renovation work, visitors weren’t able to toss their traditional coins into a makeshift pool, which did not go down well with many tourists.
A controversial, temporary footbridge was also installed in November to allow visitors to view the monument still, but this, too, was met with widespread criticism.
