Ever since Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni cavorted in its waters in "La Dolce Vita," the Trevi Fountain has become a symbol of Rome. But its extraordinary popularity with tourists seeking their own slice of the sweet life has led to the fountain -- and the tiny piazza in which it sits -- becoming almost permanently overcrowded.

That's not to mention tourists behaving badly. This year alone, an American tourist was caught bathing in the fountain, an Italian woman was stopped from carving it with a key, and three drunk Australians were caught pouring their drinks into the water. Now, four months since a local restaurant owner called the area "disgusting," one politician has a novel idea about how to protect it: by erecting barriers.