It’s long been a tourist-tradition to throw coins into Rome’s famous Trevi Fountain, which – according to legend – ensures you’ll return to the Italian capital.
But after the attraction was recently drained for maintenance, visitors have been asked to toss their coins over a plastic barrier and into a small temporary makeshift ‘pool’ that sits beside it.
The rectangular box, unadorned and showing its plywood finish, has had a mixed response from tourists, with some finding the solution amusing while others calling the pool ‘ugly’ and a disappointment.
‘I think it is a very sweet gesture that people can still do that,’ said Marianna Strekstadt, visiting from the Netherlands on Friday, while an Italian man visiting with his family called it ‘cutely romantic’.
American student, Olivia Nieporte, told the Guardian she ‘chuckled’ when she first saw it, while her friend and fellow student, Fiona Hastings, added: ‘It’s still amazing’.
But Daniela Carbone, found the substitute pool ‘ugly’. Though she gave her kids some coins to throw in anyway. ‘We have to please the children,’ she said.
Katia from Veneto in Italy was was also unimpressed. ‘Throwing a coin obviously works because this is my sixth visit to Rome,’ she said. ‘But I’m disappointed to find a pool this time – it’s just not the same.’
Another visitor, Fausto Pastori from Milan, said the box was ‘funny to look at’ and barrier in front made it harder to get the coins in the water. However, he said it offered a ‘unique experience’.
To manage the overwhelming number of tourists visiting the Baroque fountain (around 4 million a year), Rome City officials are devising a plan to block off the area around it.
Visitors will have to book online and pay two euros (£1.70) to get in. Once inside, they will have 30 minutes to enjoy the attraction
The coin tossing tradition currently generates an estimated 1.5 million euros (£1.2 million) a annually, which has been donated to the Catholic charity Caritas for the past 15 years.
Its thought it stems from an ancient pagan ritual offer to the water gods.
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