It now costs two euros (~$2.35) to visit Rome’s treasured Trevi Fountain—not including the three coins you’ll have to toss to marry a local, as the superstition goes. In a bid to tame crowd chaos, the city started charging tourists a fee this week to access the ornate sculptural fountain featured in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita and the Instagram story of every Roman holidayer. Additionally, there’s now a five-euro charge for some city museums. Still worth itThe city says it’s not trying to deter visitors, but rather aims to raise a projected $7.6 million yearly to fund historic preservation and crowd control efforts at the site, insisting that two euros is peanuts for the chance to behold the Baroque-era marble masterpiece. A local official conjectured that if the fountain were located in New York, it would cost “at least $100.” But there are still two ways to visit Italy’s landmark water spewer for free: Go after 10pm, or relocate to Rome permanently, since locals are exempt. Rome isn’t alone…in combating overcrowding by tourists. Paris recently hiked the Louvre’s ticket price for non-Europeans from $26 to $37, while Venice imposed a daily five-euro city visit fee. |