06/02/2026

LYFE FRIDAY | FEB 6, 2026

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I TALY’S Trevi Fountain recently launched a new ticketing system, making the famous Rome landmark the latest tourist site to charge entry in a bid to raise funds and battle overcrowding. People posed in the sunshine in front of the Baroque masterpiece after paying the two-euro (RM9.30) fee to access the now largely crowd-free area next to the basin. “Tell me it’s not worth two euros! It’s worth thousands if not millions, it’s beautiful!” 41-year-old Polish tourist Agata Harezlak said. The backdrop to the most famous scene in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita , when actress Anita Ekberg takes a dip, is top of the list for many visitors exploring the Eternal City. But in the past, crowds in the public square have been so dense that it has been hard to get a proper look. Briton Phillip Willis, wearing shorts and T-shirt despite the cold, said he was pleased to get “a decent picture of myself without being bombarded by lots of other people”. It also felt good to spend money which would go to “preserving the fountain for many generations to come, hopefully”, he said. Most of the square is still open to the public and many people snapped pictures from there rather than paying for a closer look. Ticket-holders can visit between 9am and 10pm, apart from Monday and Friday, when the area opens at 11.30am. City hall estimates the access ticket could bring in at least six million

A tourist shows her two-euro ticket.

traditionally ensures their return one day to Rome. Making a wish and tossing a coin into the 18th-century fountain is so popular that authorities collect thousands of euros a week to donate to the Caritas charity. Italian Mattia Loconte, 12, who uses a wheelchair, said he hoped some of the funds would go to installing ramps. Disabled people can access the basin for free – if they can get down the steps. Unlike the others on his class trip, Loconte said “I can’t get close up, or do the famous coin ritual”. Nearby, a group of giggling tourists who had not paid for a ticket took advantage of a steward looking the other way to throw their coins from a distance, cheering as they went in. Not all were convinced by the fee. Albanian tourist David Lyucia said it was “ok for tourists”, but “it’s not right for Italians to have to pay”, while Argentine Vittoria Calabria said “it should be free” for all. But Rome’s tourism czar Onorato brushed off complaints, saying that “if the Trevi Fountain had been in New York, they would have asked for 100 euros, not two”. 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. – AFP

Making a wish and tossing a coin into the 18th-century fountain is so popular that authorities collect thousands of euros a week to donate to the Caritas charity.

Fountain of wealth

o Rome starts charging for closer look at iconic landmark euros a year, Rome’s council member for tourism Alessandro Onorato told journalists. The earnings will go in part to pay for the 25 blue-vested stewards hired to staff the ticket office and usher people through the gated area at the

top of the steps and down to the basin. Funds raised would also permit free access for locals to a series of museums across the Italian capital, he said. Happy to pay Francois Tricot, a 35-year-old from Belgium, said he was “happy to pay” to have room to snap the perfect picture of his partner, who was flashing a brand new engagement ring. The couple laughed as they then tossed coins into the water, which

Visitors pose for a picture outside the viewing area of the Trevi Fountain.

Italy ski resorts grapple with growing crowds, climate pressure THE buses from Naples arrive in a steady stream, unloading thousands of people in brightly-coloured ski outfits into the small town nestled in the mountains of central Italy. altitude of 1,200m, has been closed for a while, the run now used by kids.

Tourists at the small ski resort of Roccaraso in the Abruzzo region.

But pedestrians can take the chair lift up the mountain to enjoy the view, before walking, sledding or taking the lift down. “It’s my son’s first time seeing snow. It’s just lovely to be in the mountains,” said Raimundo Di Bello, 68, in the half-hour queue for the lift. A 10-minute drive away is a real ski resort, Alto Sangro, boasting more than 100km of slopes going up to 2,100m, which draw 500,000 people a year. There, many skiiers also complain about day trippers, noting that many seem more interested in sunbathing and drinking spritz on the slopes, where loud music pumps out from nearby speakers. “People who don’t ski come and ruin the environment, nature and the concept of sport here,” said Kikka Misso Gentile, a 41-year-old from Naples who has a holiday home in nearby Rivisondoli. The tensions made global headlines last year when more than 250 buses carrying some 12,000–13,000 people arrived in one day, after TikTok influencer Rita Di

Every weekend during winter, Roccaraso’s streets are filled with day trippers, its small slopes packed with Neapolitans seeking some snow fun and a little fresh air. “We don’t ski, but we have fun with sleds. Sometimes I even try with a plastic bag under my bottom!” laughed Anna Lippolis, a 58-year-old hairdresser in a retro pink ski jacket and silver earrings. She took the 30-euro (RM140) return bus from Naples on a recent Sunday to “get out of the house, to unwind a bit” after a long week. Far from Italy’s high-end sites where the Winter Olympics take place this month, many Italians experience winter sports in more modest resorts such as Roccaraso. But the visitors have sparked tensions with locals, reflecting the difficulties of mountain resorts in managing surging numbers at a time of declining snowfall. Ruin environment The only ski slope accessible by foot from Roccaraso, situated at an

– ALL PICS FROM AFP

Rising costs, less snow Many day-trippers said they cannot afford to ski, which can easily cost 200 euros per person per day, taking into account travel, ski hire and the ski pass. Skiing in Italy is traditionally cheaper than in France or Switzerland, but consumer association Altroconsumo warned in December that the price of ski passes were rising by up to 10% in some resorts, putting the sport further out of reach. Yet the industry remains “very resilient”, according to Swiss tourism expert Laurent Vanat, with Italy

recording its best ever seasons in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024. This is despite declining snow cover due to climate change, which is shortening the season in resorts across Europe. More than 90% of Italy’s ski slopes use artificial snowmaking systems, with Roccaraso’s the largest in the country, according to environmental group Legambiente. But “artificial snow is not a solution, it’s a stop-gap”, and will become more and more difficult as temperatures rise, said Antonio Montani, the president of the Italian Alpine Club. – AFP

Crescenzo urged fellow Neapolitans to visit. Since then, authorities have imposed limits on the number of buses arriving, with a cap of 50 on a recent Sunday. Wardens have been deployed to manage the crowds. Nicola Pitucci, a 46-year-old electrician with a house in Roccaraso, said he has seen “many more people” in recent years, while the snow is unpredictable. “Everyone has the right to have fun in the snow”, but “limiting the number is right because the town can’t accommodate 50,000 people. It has no facilities, no infrastructure”, he said.