Maintenance work gets underway at Rome landmark.

Rome will limit access to the Trevi Fountain during the Vatican's Jubilee Year 2025, the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri said on Monday, ahead of the possible introduction of an entry fee.

Gualtieri announced that maintenance works have got underway at the landmark which will initially be surrounded by transparent panels and, within a month, a "horseshoe-shaped walkway" will be installed temporarily over the water to offer visitors an "unprecedented view" of the Baroque monument.

Tourists will still be able to throw coins into a "basket" from the walkway, Gualtieri said, but they will no longer be allowed to eat food while visiting the fountain which dates to 1762.

• What does Rome do with all the Trevi Fountain coins?

The maintenance works and cleaning of the iconic fountain, which comes a decade after a major restoration sponsored by fashion house Fendi, is set to be completed by the end of this year.

The project will act as a trial run for managing the flow of tourists which the city will start to limit some time around the turn of the new year.

Al via da oggi, lunedì 7/10, le operazioni di cantierizzazione per l'intervento di manutenzione straordinaria della Fontana di Trevi

Il monumento resterà visibile per tutta la durata dei lavori, grazie a recinzioni di minimo impatto e trasparenti

info https://t.co/hBbpAagFmN pic.twitter.com/V7dOjQQT6y

— Roma (@Roma) October 7, 2024

"The construction site, and in particular the walkway" - explained Gualtieri - "will be an opportunity to test the methods of limited access and the maximum number of people who can remain in the lower basin, while the upper part of the piazza will remain freely accessible".

There will be no turnstiles or fixed barriers: access will be controlled by on-site staff who will open the cordons at the entrances to let visitors in a little at a time.

The maximum number of people allowed will be established after the experimental phase when the city will evaluate whether to introduce a ticketing system and a "small contribution" for entry, Gualtieri said.

Sunday morning at the Trevi Fountain #Rome pic.twitter.com/62t8774lCq

— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) September 29, 2024

Last month the city announced draft plans for time slots at the Trevi Fountain with €2 tickets for tourists (and free for Rome residents) as part of efforts to address overcrowding at the site.

Rome tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato on Monday said the maintenance project would offer a "concrete opportunity" to properly analyse the exact numbers of tourists, currently estimated at "10-12 thousand" people per day.

"We want tourists, but also Romans, to have a better experience when they visit the monument" - Onorato said - "Less chaotic and slower. Without having to jostle or risk getting your sleeve dirty while your neighbour is eating an ice cream".

The 18th-century fountain, which has become extremely overcrowded in recent years, is regularly the scene of tourists behaving badly, from jumping into the water to jostling for space to take selfies.

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

Photo Wanted in Rome