Free Republic

As a general rule, once a city erects turnstiles to tourist attractions which were once free to visit, it is time to go elsewhere. Never more so than in the case of Rome. Last week the Italian capital introduced a €2 charge to visit the Trevi Fountain. Tight-fisted tourists like me will still be able to see the Trevi from a distance – it happens to stand in a public street. The charge will be only for sad Instagrammers who want to get close enough to chuck their coins in the water. The city’s tourism department has suggested the fee...

ROME (Reuters) - A homeless man who has long made his living fishing coins out of Rome's famed Trevi fountain was arrested Tuesday, police officials said. AP Photo Thousands of tourists stand with their backs to the Renaissance masterpiece and throw coins over their shoulders into the fountain every day in the hope they will return to the eternal city. The money is supposed to go to charity but police said since 1968, Roberto Cercelletta, who could face theft charges, has waded into the water at Neptune's feet every morning to retrieve the coins left behind, amassing a small fortune....