THETrevi Fountain becomes an international case. After the introduction of the 2 euro ticket to approach the monument and throw the lucky coin, criticism came from the Financial Times, which questioned the Capitol’s choice to charge entry to one of the most famous and accessible symbols of the capital.
The subject was raised by the British historian Alex von Tunzelmann, who evoked one of the most iconic images in the history of cinema: Anita Ekberg immersed in the fountain in the film The Dolce Vita by Federico Fellini. Today, the author writes, that scene would be impossible without going through the controls and paying the ticket: «Anita Ekberg should have queued and paid 2 euros» she observes with irony.
«The paid Trevi Fountain changes everything»
The criticism of Financial Times it is not limited to the symbolic cost of the ticket, but touches on a deeper issue: the risk of transforming a public good into a regulated and monetized experience. According to von Tunzelmann, charging for access to a monument like the Trevi Fountain “radically” changes the relationship between citizens, visitors and urban space, introducing not only physical but also cultural barriers.
The Trevi Fountain is not an isolated case
The paid visit to the Trevi Fountain is controversial
Rome, however, is not an isolated case. More and more European cities are introducing tickets or restrictions to manage mass tourism: the Pantheon started charging entry in 2023, Venice has introduced a contribution for daily visitors, while monuments such as the Sagrada Familia or St Paul’s Cathedral in London have already required a ticket for some time.
The measure came into force on February 2, 2026 and concerns tourists who want to go down to the area closest to the fountain, from which it is possible to throw the traditional coin. The square remains accessible for free, but direct entry is limited and regulated. The tourist flow, in fact, has reached record levels: up to 70 thousand visitors a day in peak periods and around 10 million a year.
A symbol between tourism and identity
For the Financial TimesHowever, the issue goes beyond the practical management of flows. The Trevi Fountain is not just a tourist attraction, but an integral element of urban identity. Its transformation into a regulated and paid space represents, according to the newspaper, a sign of a broader transformation: the progressive “monetization” of historic public places.
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