Officials in Rome are considering restricting access to one of the Eternal City's greatest tourist symbols, the Trevi Fountain, as overtourism threatens to damage the Baroque monument.

Alessandro Onorato, a city councilor, said local newspaper Corriere della Sera that access to the fountain may become limited, paid and time-limited.

While residents will be able to visit the fountain for free, non-residents may have to pay 1-2 euros for access to the monument.

Onorato said the fee will help authorities curb bad behavior, including loitering, littering and leaving food on the historic fountain.

“We decided to study and investigate this because the situation is becoming technically very difficult to manage,” said Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. “Local police tell us this all the time: the concentration of people makes it difficult to adequately protect the monument.”

According to The Guardian, there have been several incidents of inappropriate behavior at the famous landmark. In 2017, officials began issuing fines to tourists who jumped into the fountain. In 2018, officials had to intervene in an eight-person fight over the perfect spot for a selfie.

Source: travelnews.co.za

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