City studies plan for 30-minute time slot at landmark fountain with €2 ticket for tourists and free for Rome residents.

Rome's tourism councillor has released more details about the city's draft plan to introduce a ticketing system at the Trevi Fountain to address overcrowding at the landmark.

Alessandro Onorato, who raised the prospect this week in an interview with Corriere della Sera, returned to the topic on Thursday with an Instagram video filmed in front of the iconic site.

The city is currently studying plans to limit access to the Baroque monument by prior reservation, a possibility described as "very concrete" by Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri.

In his Instagram post, Onorato said that tourism in Rome is reaching "record numbers", creating wealth and jobs, however the city now must ensure that tourism is "more compatible" with the life of Rome residents as well as being "more dignified and integrated into the daily life of our city".

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Onorato said that the idea is to introduce a €2 ticket for tourists with a 30-minute slot to enter the Trevi Fountain basin, with no charge for Rome residents.

The idea is to make a visit to the Trevi Fountain "truly an experience", he stated, and avoid "chaotic shoving between tourists trying to find the best angle for a selfie".

Onorato said the city wants to protect the 18th-century monument, "one of the most beautiful in the world", by putting an end to "mythomaniacs" jumping into the fountain thinking they are Marcello Mastroianni from La dolce vita, or "tourists who arrive with a bag of McDonald's, perhaps throwing chips into the water in the hope that a seagull with pick up the crumbs".

The proceeds from the entry fees would be "reinvested in protecting the monument and to hire staff who would guarantee safety and manage the flow of tourists, creating new jobs", Onorato concluded.

Last year a €5 entry fee was introduced at the Pantheon, Italy's most visited landmark, which remains free for Rome residents.

The ticket proposal for the Trevi Fountain comes as the Italian capital prepares to welcome an estimated 32 million tourists and pilgrims for Jubilee Year 2025.

Photo credit: Mistervlad / Shutterstock.com.