Today was the first day where to get close to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, it came at the cost of €2.

From 9am to 10pm, lower-level access close to the fountain is no longer free for tourists; to help manage the bustling crowds in the piazza, those who want to get closest to the fountain will be charged for the experience. The fee doesn’t apply to Roman citizens, children, or people with disabilities.

This has divided the travel community—on the one hand, the Trevi is a monument that’s always been free, is a major landmark in Rome, and that has been enjoyed freely for centuries. Access being taken away from those who can’t afford it feels petty and elitist. Not to mention that the Trevi receives an estimated €1.5 million worth of coins that are tossed into it annually. Pundits online wonder—is this not enough?

But if you dig a little deeper, you see that this isn’t the full story. The €1.5M collected annually is donated to a charity called Caritas, which uses it to run welfare projects for vulnerable citizens, such as homeless shelters and food banks. That money doesn’t go into the restoration work that needs to happen in order for it to be maintained; it goes back into the communities that tourists are enjoying when they step into Rome.

The Trevi is a major tourist attractor, and for some, getting a photo or making a wish might be the reason you’re in Rome. But others aren’t as respectful; some try to climb the fountain, and others try to graffiti with markers and carvings in the stone. So why shouldn’t the city use the traffic they see around it to keep it as pristine as it currently stands? If you can afford a trip to Rome, surely you can afford the small charge. And to be clear, the fountain isn’t being walled off; those who pass by can still admire its beauty, but just at a distance.

Truthfully, I think this fee is a good idea. When I was in Rome a few years ago, my mother and I went to the Trevi; you couldn’t move for all the people there. (The photo above is one I had to crop strangers out of, as I don’t want to invade anyone’s privacy, and it was literally not possible to get a photo without strangers in it.) And I know that being in Rome, I was part of the problem! Too many people in one space can be anxiety-educing, but I really wanted to see the fountain. A fee is something I would have gladly paid in order to get a bit of room to breathe.

Overcrowding isn’t just annoying; it can be dangerous. Think about times we’ve seen news stories about tramplings at concerts or riots where people have lost their lives; I don’t want anyone trying to make a wish in a fountain to be pushed, lost, or faint from panic.

I think that if, as a tourist, you want to enjoy the beauty that history brings, you should be committed to keeping the beautiful things looking great. And putting a small fee in place so that the Trevi can be enjoyed centuries from now feels like the least I can do as a visitor.

Would you pay to visit the Trevi, if it meant you got a more peaceful, less-packed-in experience? Let me know in the comments—and happy travels!