At least two Italian cultural heritage sites are cracking down on overtourism after record-breaking numbers continue to flock to the country’s most iconic attractions.
After seeing more than 4 million visitors this past summer, Pompeii Archaeological Park will cap daily attendance at 20,000 people beginning on November 15, park officials announced last week.
Pompeii’s announcement comes after Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri endorsed a €2 (~$2.13) fee to visit the Trevi Fountain, the 1762 Baroque masterpiece by Nicola Salvi that is undergoing a $330,000 restoration through the end of the year.
This fall’s cap on Pompeii attendance permits 15,000 visitors to enter from 9am through noon and a maximum of 5,000 people until 5:30pm. The park said it saw 36,000 visitors on a Sunday this summer. Tickets will also be personalized with the names of visitors, a strategy to diminish disruptions from tourists on the UNESCO World Heritage site, according to the park.
Rogue tourists have made headlines for vandalism and disruptive behavior at landmark Italian attractions for years, including this summer, when a man carved his family initials into an ancient Pompeii home this summer. Last year, another tourist was detained for the same action at the park’s House of Ceii, and a woman drew outrage online after she was filmed refilling a bottle with water from the Trevi fountain on a particularly hot day.
While the fountain is undergoing renovations, a temporary pool of water has been installed for tourists to throw coins in (legend has it that tossing a coin will guarantee a return to Rome). City officials have said the measure is in place so that tourists don’t throw coins at the renovation workers.
Earlier this year, Venice became the first city in the world to adopt a tax for tourists stopping through its historic center just for the day. Visitors were charged €5 (~$5.33) for 57 days beginning in April and through the summer after 20 million tourists made landfall in 2023. Venice will bring back the day-trip fee next spring at €10 (~$10.65).
In a news release, Pompeii Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said that the park is attempting to thwart “anthropic pressure,” which could pose safety risks to both visitors and the archeological site. Zuchtriegel also said Pompeii officials are “working to expand the usable areas in the ancient city and develop other sites in the area.”
“We are aiming for slow, sustainable, pleasant, and non-mass tourism,” Zuchtriegel said in a statement.
