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Rome Mulls Introducing Tickets for the Trevi Fountain

Yuting, from China, throws two coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, February 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Yuting, from China, throws two coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, February 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Rome Mulls Introducing Tickets for the Trevi Fountain

Yuting, from China, throws two coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, February 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Yuting, from China, throws two coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, February 16, 2024. (Reuters)

Authorities in Rome said Wednesday they were mulling introducing a ticketing system for visitors to the iconic Trevi Fountain, in the latest attempt in Italy to tackle overtourism.

The backdrop to the most famous scene in Federico Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita", when actress Anita Ekberg takes a dip, the 18th-century fountain is top of the list for many visitors exploring the Eternal City.

"Personally, I would be in favor of looking at a new form of access, limited and timed, to the Trevi Fountain," Alessandro Onorato, the city councilor responsible for tourism, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

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 "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."

Visitor numbers are expected to surge further in 2025 for the Jubilee, a holy year held by the Catholic Church around once every 25 years, with some 30 million people expected in Rome and the Vatican over the 12 months.

Venice earlier this year trialed a five-euro ($5.50) ticket for day visitors during peak periods, in a bid to encourage people to come at less busy times.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government is also considering hiking the nightly tourist tax, although the proposal has sparked anger among industry groups who warn against scaring people away.

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 center, but they do not have the power.

"Today we can limit the number of restaurants or fast-food outlets in the historic center, but we cannot prevent the opening of non-hotel facilities," he said.

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Culture

Red Sea International Film Festival Held Amid Wide Participation from Film Stars, Creators

The festival runs until December 13 with the wide participation of local and international film stars and creators
The festival runs until December 13 with the wide participation of local and international film stars and creators
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Red Sea International Film Festival Held Amid Wide Participation from Film Stars, Creators

The festival runs until December 13 with the wide participation of local and international film stars and creators
The festival runs until December 13 with the wide participation of local and international film stars and creators

The fifth annual Red Sea International Film Festival is being held under the patronage of Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan at Culture Square in Historic Jeddah under the theme "In Love with Cinema.”

It runs until December 13 with the wide participation of local and international film stars and creators.

In his opening speech, the minister welcomed the festival's guests, saying "Here in the beautiful city of Jeddah - alive with creativity, culture, and the arts - I am pleased to welcome those who have joined us in previous successful editions, as well as those attending for the first time to experience an event that reflects the energy of our youth and the richness of our culture.”

With the generous support of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the minister noted that the cultural sector has witnessed an unprecedented renaissance, positioning culture as a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's future.

The minister pointed out that over the past seven years, the Ministry of Culture has worked to preserve the Kingdom's diverse heritage and build a thriving cultural landscape encompassing the arts, language, music, handicrafts, and the film sector, affirming that cinema is one of the most powerful tools of cultural influence globally and plays a pivotal role in strengthening understanding among peoples.

He added that the Red Sea Film Foundation embodies the Kingdom's vision of empowering youth, supporting creatives, and reinforcing Saudi Arabia's presence as a promising cinematic destination.

The festival opened with the film "Giant" in its Middle East and North Africa premiere.

Red Sea Film Foundation Chief Executive Officer Faisal Baltyuor explained that the choice of opening film reflects the festival's vision of supporting voices and stories from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, and bringing them to global audiences.

Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees for Red Sea Film Foundation Jomana Alrashid stated that the foundation has, over five years, helped build an effective ecosystem that enables filmmakers from Arab, Asian, and African countries to lead their projects.

She noted that seven films supported by the "Red Sea Fund" were nominated for the Oscars, and that this year's edition features 111 films from more than 70 countries, highlighting 38 female directors.

This year, the festival offers a diverse cinematic program featuring selected global screenings and Arab works shown for the first time, in addition to an official competition that attracts films from five continents, and a series of panel discussions and talent-support programs designed to empower new voices and strengthen Arab presence in the international cinematic landscape.

Culture

‘Amazing’ Figurines Find in Egyptian Tomb Solves Mystery

This undated handout photograph released on November 25, 2025 by MFFT-EPHE/PSL shows funerary statuette, knonw as ouchbetis, found in the royal necropolis of Tanis (San el-Hagar). (Simone Nannucci / MFFT - EPHE/PSL / AFP)
This undated handout photograph released on November 25, 2025 by MFFT-EPHE/PSL shows funerary statuette, knonw as ouchbetis, found in the royal necropolis of Tanis (San el-Hagar). (Simone Nannucci / MFFT - EPHE/PSL / AFP)
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‘Amazing’ Figurines Find in Egyptian Tomb Solves Mystery

This undated handout photograph released on November 25, 2025 by MFFT-EPHE/PSL shows funerary statuette, knonw as ouchbetis, found in the royal necropolis of Tanis (San el-Hagar). (Simone Nannucci / MFFT - EPHE/PSL / AFP)
This undated handout photograph released on November 25, 2025 by MFFT-EPHE/PSL shows funerary statuette, knonw as ouchbetis, found in the royal necropolis of Tanis (San el-Hagar). (Simone Nannucci / MFFT - EPHE/PSL / AFP)

A treasure trove of 225 funerary figurines have been discovered inside a tomb in the ancient Egyptian capital of Tanis in the Nile Delta, a rare find that has also solved a long-running mystery.

"Finding figurines in place inside a royal tomb has not happened in the Tanis necropolis since 1946," French Egyptologist Frederic Payraudeau told reporters in Paris on Friday.

Such a find has also never happened before further south in Egypt's Valley of the Kings near modern Luxor -- apart from the tomb of the famous boy king Tutankhamun in 1922 -- because most such sites have been looted throughout history, he added.

Payraudeau, who leads the French Tanis excavation mission, said the remarkable discovery was made on the morning of October 9.

The team had already excavated the other three corners of a narrow tomb occupied by an imposing, unnamed sarcophagus.

"When we saw three or four figurines together, we knew right away it was going to be amazing," Payraudeau said.

"I ran out to tell my colleagues and the officials. After that it was a real struggle. It was the day before the weekend -- normally, we stop at 2 pm. We thought: 'This is not possible.'"

The team then set up lights to work through the night.

It took 10 days to carefully extract all of the 225 small green figurines.

They were "carefully arranged in a star shape around the sides of a trapezoidal pit and in horizontal rows at the bottom," Payraudeau said.

The funerary figurines, which are known as ushabti, were intended as servants to accompany the dead into the afterlife.

More than half the figurines are women, which is "quite exceptional", Payraudeau said.

Located in the Nile Delta, Tanis was founded around 1050 BC as the capital of the Egyptian kingdom during the 21st dynasty.

At the time, the Valley of the Kings -- which had been looted during the reign of pharaohs including Ramses -- was abandoned and the royal necropolis was moved to Tanis, Payraudeau said.

- One mystery leads to another -

The royal symbol on the newly discovered figurines also solves a long-standing mystery by identifying who was buried in the sarcophagus.

It was Pharaoh Shoshenq III, who reigned from 830 to 791 BC.

This was "astonishing" because the walls of a different tomb at the site -- and the largest sarcophagus there -- bear his name, Payraudeau said.

"Why isn't he buried in this tomb?" the expert asked.

"Obviously, for a pharaoh, building a tomb is a gamble because you can never be sure your successor will bury you there," he said.

"Clearly, we have new proof that these gambles are not always successful," Payraudeau said with a smile.

Shoshenq III's four-decade reign was turbulent, marred by a "very bloody civil war between upper and lower Egypt, with several pharaohs fighting for power," he said.

So it is possible that the royal succession did not go as planned and the pharaoh was not buried in his chosen tomb.

Another possibility is that his remains were moved later due to looting.

But it is "difficult to imagine that a 3.5 by 1.5-meter granite sarcophagus could have been reinstalled in such a small place," Payraudeau said.

After the figurines are studied, they will be displayed in an Egyptian museum, Payraudeau said.

Culture

Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Launches Riyadh Int’l Philosophy Conference

The three-day event is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission. SPA
The three-day event is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission. SPA
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Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Launches Riyadh Int’l Philosophy Conference

The three-day event is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission. SPA
The three-day event is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission. SPA

The fifth edition of the Riyadh International Philosophy Conference 2025 launched on Thursday at King Fahd National Library.

The three-day event is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission under the theme “Philosophy Between East and West: Concepts, Origins, and Mutual Influences.”

This year’s conference continues the intellectual path it began five years ago, maintaining its role as a global platform that brings together thinkers, scholars, and experts from various countries and affirms the Kingdom’s position as an international center for knowledge production and cross-cultural dialogue.

The conference opened with remarks by CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Dr. Abdullatif Alwasel, who welcomed the guests and said the fifth edition builds on a project launched five years ago and has grown into a firmly established initiative that strengthens the presence of philosophy, enriches cultural dialogue, and reinforces the Kingdom’s standing as a global platform for knowledge and thought.

The conference features sixty speakers, including philosophers, thinkers, and researchers from different countries and philosophical traditions, giving the program intellectual diversity that strengthens its role as an international platform for dialogue and the exchange of expertise.

More than forty panel discussions will cover the foundations of Eastern and Western philosophy, modes of reasoning, and pathways of mutual influence between intellectual traditions. The sessions will also address contemporary issues related to human meaning, cultural shifts, and the role of philosophy in interpreting modern realities, offering varied perspectives and expanded approaches that deepen philosophical discussions.

The conference is expected to welcome around 7,000 visitors, reflecting the growing interest in philosophy and the humanities within the Kingdom.