Tourists will have to pay a two-euro entrance fee from February to get close to Rome's Trevi Fountain, officials said Friday, in a bid to tackle overtourism.

The Baroque masterpiece, located in a public square, will remain viewable from a distance for free, but closer access will be exclusively for ticket holders.

"From February 1 we are introducing a paid ticket for six sites" in the Italian capital, including the Trevi Fountain, Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told a press conference.

Entrance to the other five sites will cost five euros ($5.85).

The backdrop to the most famous scene in Federico Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita", when actress Anita Ekberg takes a dip, the 18th-century fountain is top of the list for many visitors exploring the Eternal City.

Making a wish and tossing a coin into the water is such a strong tradition that authorities collect thousands of euros a week to donate to the Caritas charity.

Crowds in the square surrounding the Baroque masterpiece are often so dense that it is hard to get a proper look.

Gualtieri said the vast numbers created a "gridlock" caused by "the famous problem of overtourism".

Hundreds of tourists could be seen milling around the fountain Friday, many holding phones aloft to snap pictures.

The silence was broken only by the whistles of guards who control the movement of crowds and ensure tourists do not breach rules, such as the ban on drinking from the fountain.

'Should be free'

"It's not good I suppose. It should be free," said one tourist from the Gulf as he pushed his daughter in a pram in the queue to visit the area immediately in front of the fountain.

A tourist from South Korea said he "would have to think about" whether to visit again once access becomes paid.

Between 1 January and 8 December, some nine million tourists have visited the area just in front of the fountain -- an average of 30,000 people a day, Gualtieri said.

The area has been targeted by pickpockets, and Rome officials have debated different ways of regulating access for years.

Rome residents will be allowed free access.

City hall estimates the access ticket to the Trevi Fountain could bring in 6.5 million euros a year, Gualtieri said.

Tickets can be bought online or at the fountain with cards or other contactless payment methods, officials said.

There will be separate queues for people who already have a ticket and those buying them on the spot.

This is not the first time Italian authorities have introduced tariffs for monuments.

The Pantheon -- a church and former Roman temple -- began charging visitors in 2023, and Venice last year introduced a tourist entry fee during peak periods.