The backdrop to the most famous scene in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita, featuring Swedish actress Anita Ekberg, the 18th-century fountain is top of the list for many visitors exploring the Eternal City.
"Personally I would be in favour of looking at a new form of access, limited and timed, to the Trevi Fountain," Alessandro Onorato, the city councillor responsible for tourism, told Corriere della Sera.
This would be "a [ticket] reservation system – free for Romans and costing a symbolic one euro for tourists", he said, in quotes confirmed by the municipality.
The goal is not to raise money but control the crowds, including stopping them from "eating ice cream or pizza on a monument that deserves the proper respect", he said.
As a result of the fountain's fame, the crowds in the square surrounding the Baroque masterpiece are often so deep that it is hard to get a proper look.
A spokesman for the municipality told AFP the ticket proposal was merely "an initial idea – there is nothing concrete yet".
"It is a delicate, difficult issue, but sooner or later it must be addressed," he said.
"Tourism in Rome, which is reporting record numbers, must be made sustainable for the city and the environment."
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Visitor numbers are expected to surge further in 2025 for the Jubilee, a holy year held by the Catholic Church every 25 or 50 years, with some 30 million people expected in Rome and the Vatican over the 12 months.
Earlier this year, Venice trialled a five-euro ticket for day visitors during peak periods in a bid to encourage people to come at less busy times.
PM Giorgia Meloni's government is also considering hiking Italy's tourist tax for visitors staying in local accommodation overnight, with the proposal sparking anger among hospitality industry groups amid concerns it'll damage operators’ international competitiveness.
READ ALSO: Italy plans tourist tax hike ahead of 2025 Jubilee
Onorato said Rome authorities would also like to limit the opening of new bed-and-breakfast or holiday homes to reduce the pressure on the historic centre, but they currently don't have the power to do so.
"Today we can limit the number of restaurants or fast-food outlets in the historic centre, but we cannot prevent the opening of non-hotel facilities," he said.
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