Rome Implements Fee to Access Trevi Fountain Amid Tourist Concerns
Rome began charging tourists a fee to access the Trevi Fountain on Monday, February 3, 2026, as part of an effort to manage crowds and raise revenue. The new fee structure requires tourists to pay 2 euros ($2.35) to get close to the iconic waterwork, according to the Associated Press.
The move comes as Rome seeks to balance the allure of its historical sites with the challenges of mass tourism. The Trevi Fountain, made famous by Federico Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita," is one of the city's most visited attractions.
The first tourists subject to the new fee appeared unfazed, with some noting that it was a small price to pay for quality access to the fountain, according to the Associated Press.
The implementation of the Trevi Fountain fee coincides with other developments in the tech and business worlds. Oracle announced plans to raise up to $50 billion in debt and equity during the 2026 calendar year to fund additional data center capacity for its cloud customers, according to Fortune. The market's initial reaction was favorable, with Oracle shares rising about 2% in early trading, as investors took the announcement as confirmation that demand for AI infrastructure remained strong and contracted.
Meanwhile, in the tech sector, SpaceX acquired xAI, another company owned by Elon Musk. SpaceX announced the acquisition on Monday afternoon, stating that the merger would create "the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the worlds foremost real-time information and free speech platform," according to Ars Technica.
In other news, Crunchyroll, a popular streaming platform for anime, recently raised its monthly subscription prices by up to 20 percent, according to Ars Technica. The price increase comes after Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll from ATT in 2020. At the time of the acquisition, Crunchyroll had 3 million paid subscribers and an additional 197 million users with free accounts.
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