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 is needed to manage the throngs of holidaygoers. Even then, God forbid, they won’t be able to take off their sandals and take a dip – that will earn them a €500 fine. Which raises the question: why bother visiting the fountain at all? You’ll find more attractive water features in your local B&Q.

This 17th-century vanity project was built on the part of Clement XII to make supposedly dramatic use of the waters fed by the Aqua Virgo, an eight-mile long Roman viaduct. Had the Romans known to what use the waters would end up being put, maybe........

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