Tourists toss coins over a makeshift pool as Rome’s Trevi Fountain undergoes maintenance

ROME -- Tourists eager to return to nan Eternal City are being forced to flip coins complete a integrative obstruction and into a mini makeshift excavation successful beforehand of Rome’s Trevi Fountain while nan attraction is being drained for maintenance.

The rectangular box, unadorned and showing its plywood finish, has elicited mixed reactions. “I deliberation it is simply a very saccharine motion that group tin still do that," said Marianna Strekstadt, visiting from nan Netherlands connected Friday. A cashless traveler, she was taking a pass.

Others, for illustration Daniela Carbone, recovered nan substitute excavation “ugly.” Yet, she gave her kids immoderate coins to propulsion successful anyway. “We person to please nan children," she said.

City lore has it that tossing a coin into nan Baroque fountain will guarantee a return travel to Rome. This contented generates an estimated 1.5 cardinal euros ($1.6 million) annually, which has been donated to nan Catholic kindness Caritas for nan past 15 years.

To manage nan overwhelming number of tourists visiting nan fountain, Rome City officials are devising a scheme to artifact disconnected nan area astir nan fountain. Visitors will beryllium required to book online and past salary a interest of 2 euros ($2.20) to get in. Once inside, they will person 30 minutes to bask nan fountain.