a footbridge inaugurated above the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Tourists will thus live “an experience which will not be spoiled by too many crowds”, assured the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. “We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to admire the fountain and to do it from a unique point of view, because what you can see from the walkway, you will never be able to see normally,” he said. he declared.

10,000 people per day

This Baroque masterpiece built on the facade of a palace is one of the most popular sites in Rome, made famous by Federico Fellini’s film “La Dolce Vita”, in which Anita Ekberg invites Marcello Mastroianni to the join in the fountain basin.

Traditionally, many tourists throw coins there as a good luck charm. Normally, the monument is visited by 10,000 to 12,000 people per day.

Franck Petretto, a 50-year-old French tourist, was one of the first to pass through the new building, calling the view “wonderful and very, very beautiful.” “Even without the water flowing into the fountain, you can really see that the architecture is remarkable, and it’s really quite nice,” he said.

Micaela di Caterina, a 32-year-old from Argentina, agrees: She finds it “incredible” to see the intricate sculptures of Ocean, the father of the river gods, and his seahorses up close. She admitted, however, that it was “a little weird” to walk on top of the fountain.

What work?

Current work involves removing limestone deposits from the facade of the fountain, which can darken it over time, and removing loose material between the stones, where invasive vegetation grows.

During cleaning operations, tourists are not allowed to throw coins into the empty fountain basin so as not to damage it. However, the authorities have installed a small pool to collect the coins thrown by visitors during the work. It thus makes it possible to continue donations to Roman associations helping the poor.

Every week, authorities recovered some 10,000 euros in coins from the Trevi Fountain, given to the charity Caritas to finance meals, Rome’s mayor said.