It is one of the must-see sights for visitors to Rome but its iconic Trevi Fountain has been making headlines for the wrong reasons recently — and people are getting fed up. Two tourists came to blows earlier this month as they competed for a prime selfie spot and a new round-the-clock deployment of police officers clearly indicates the authorities have had enough of bad behaviour.

“There are too many people,” a French tourist says as he struggles to see past the throngs gathered in front of the 18th century Unesco site on Trevi Square. “There needs to be more order, otherwise the visit is not pleasant,” adds Rafel Llerat, a 44-year-old visitor from Spain.