ROME (Reuters) - A restored Trevi Fountain was unveiled after more than two months of cleaning and restoration, part of Rome's preparations for the 2025 Roman Catholic Holy Year.
The work, for which the city of Rome set a 327,000 euro budget, included removing dirt, pollution, iron oxide and limescale from the 18th century monument, one of the best known of Rome's many tourist attractions.
During that time, the fountain had been drained but visitors were able to view it from a temporary footbridge.
To avoid a return of the big crowds that customarily engulfed the small square housing the fountain, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said visitors will have to form a queue with 400 people at a time allowed by the fountain.
Tourists won't have to rush, with no time limit set to walk from one end of the fountain to the other, but they won't be permitted to sit on its border. In the future, the city of Rome may consider introducing a ticket for the monument, Gualtieri added.
The Vatican expects up to 32 million tourists will descend on the Italian capital for the Jubilee, putting Rome's antiquated infrastructure under enormous strain and adding to the headaches of managing the flow of visitors.
Completed in 1762, the fountain is a late Baroque masterpiece, with statues of Tritons guiding the shell chariot of the god Oceanus, illustrating the theme of the taming of the waters.
Tradition dictates that visitors toss a coin into the fountain to guarantee their return to Rome. During the works, visitors had to throw coins into a temporary pool.
It is also remembered for one of cinema's most famous scenes when in Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" Anita Ekberg wades into the fountain and beckons her co-star Marcello Mastroianni to join her: "Marcello! Come here!"