Rome begins charging tourists for access to the Trevi Fountain

People posed in the sun in front of the baroque masterpiece after paying the fee of two euros ($1.68) to access the fountain that in these times of mass tourism attracts crowds.

“Tell me it’s not worth two euros! It’s worth thousands, if not millions, it’s beautiful!” Polish tourist Agata Harezlak, 41, told AFP.

The location of the most famous scene in the film “La Dolce Vita” by Federico Fellini, when actress Anita Ekberg takes a bath, tops the list of many visitors to the Eternal City.

The British Phillip Willis, wearing shorts and a t-shirt despite the cold, said he was delighted to get “a decent photo of myself without being bombarded by a bunch of other people”.

Much of the square is still open to the public and many preferred to take photos from there rather than pay for a better view.

The mayor’s office estimates that this entry could raise at least six million euros a year, according to Rome Tourism Councilor Alessandro Onorato.

The proceeds will go in part to pay the 25 assistants in blue vests hired to man the box office and guide people through the fenced area at the top of the steps and to the fountain.

The funds raised would also allow free access for Rome residents to a number of museums in the Italian capital, he said.

François Tricot, a 35-year-old Belgian, said he was “happy to pay” to have space to take the perfect photo of his partner, who was wearing a brand-new engagement ring.

The couple laughed as they then threw coins into the water, traditionally ensuring their return to Rome one day.

Making a wish and throwing a coin into the 18th-century fountain is so popular that authorities collect thousands of euros a week to donate to the Caritas charity.

Albanian tourist David Lyucia said it was “fine for tourists”, but that “it is not right that Italians have to pay”, while Argentine Vittoria Calabria said that “it should be free” for everyone.

But the head of Rome Tourism, Onorato, dismissed the complaints and maintained that “if the Trevi Fountain had been in New York, they would have asked for 100 euros, not two.”