Rome builds footbridge at Trevi Fountain: But coin tossing is punished dearly!

Rome (Italy) - Unusual perspectives for tourists to Rome! Thanks to a recently constructed footbridge, visitors can experience the Trevi Fountain with its magnificent palace façade and the rocky landscape of sea creatures up close. But a coin toss is punished dearly.

A footbridge made of scaffolding elements now leads through the Trevi Fountain.
A footbridge made of scaffolding elements now leads through the Trevi Fountain.  © Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa

Due to restoration work, the "Fontana di Trevi" in the Italian capital is currently pumped empty and the lower section of the water basin is closed off with transparent walls.

Visitors to Rome are likely to be disappointed by the sight. The city has therefore come up with a temporary solution: a footbridge has been erected over the almost 50-metre-wide fountain basin.

However, access via the scaffolding construction is only possible in small groups from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - but at least it is free of charge.

Mocked by Romans as a "catwalk", the walkway will also be used to count the immense crowds of visitors. The results could then be used to work out solutions to the overcrowding problem on the square. An admission fee of two euros is being discussed from 2025.

The city has set clear rules for visiting the new footbridge. For example, coins may only be thrown into the temporary basin and not into the fountain itself. Anyone who does not adhere to these rules will be fined 50 euros.