Italy’s reputation for opulent design is being questioned by tourists faced with an “underwhelming” replacement for one of the country’s most iconic sights. Many historic attractions in Rome are undergoing maintenance in preparation for the Eternal City’s 2025 Roman Catholic jubilee, a Holy Year, during which an estimated 32 million visitors are expected to descend on the Italian capital.
The taming of the waters?
The Trevi Fountain is no exception. A beloved Baroque masterpiece at the three-way junction where the city’s ancient water supply arrived, the 18th-century fountain attracts millions of tourists each year, thanks to a decades-long, silver-screen driven tradition of tossing three coins in the fountain for good luck. The monument stands over 26 metres tall and nearly 50 metres wide. Sculpted from white travertine, it features a scene depicting the “Taming of the Waters”, where a shell chariot guided by Triton mermen carries Oceanus among sea-horses that he is reining in – the whole framed by a triumphal arch.
But recent visitors to the city have found in its place … a plain, rectangular, plywood box filled with water.
Billions of euros and a plywood box
The real Trevi Fountain was drained in early October and cordoned off, ready for €300,000 worth of refurbishment works, that come as part of a €1.3 billion programme of state-funded Jubilee-focused renovations, on top of three billion euros of EU post-pandemic money.
But, it appears, not much of the budget has yet gone towards adorning the makeshift Trevi Fountain pool that now sits in place of the real thing. Comments on TripAdvisor express dissatisfaction, describing the current situation as “a circus”. One two-star reviewer said that “It looked very beautiful sculptures and architecture in photos. Disappointingly, metal fencing was around it because of maintenance work and no water in the fountain during visit.”
Visiting the Trevi Fountain these days #Rome pic.twitter.com/StcnDsPZba
— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) October 31, 2024
Another who also visited in October 2024 said: “Don’t go this year and don’t go next year! Wait for 2026. Currently, it’s a mess, no water in this or many other fountains, has metal fencing around it like MANY things/attractions in Rome, all being done up for the 2025 celebration.”
Future entrance fee
Like other Italian destinations, Rome has seen huge growth in its visitor numbers, to the extent it is looking at solutions to the crowding and burden on public services that overtourism brings. One such measure means that, when the fountain does eventually re-open, visitors are likely to find its surroundings still blocked off. An entrance fee is being introduced and the monument will only be accessible to those who have booked online. Two euros is set to buy 30-minutes’ of marvelling, selfie-taking and coin-tossing time.
