'I visited the crazy tourist attraction packed with Instagram models at 4am'

In 1959, Federico Fellinispent a week directing one of the most famous scenes in cinema history.

Anita Ekberg, a hardened Swede, frolicked in the waters of Rome'sTrevi Fountain while her love interest, played by Italian Marcello Mastroianni, fortified himself against the crisp March nights with an underclothes wetsuit and bottles of vodka.

The resulting two-minute scene provides the climax for La Dolce Vita and caused countless cinephiles to fall (even more) in love with the Eternal City. Fast forward to the present day and the idea that two lovers, however much Hollywood clout they have, would have the run of the place is laughable.

When I stopped by at 4am on the last Tuesday of September, already the crowds were beginning to swell. Among them was Jose, a 30-year-old hairdresser, who had decided to visit Trevi on the way to the airport — a final stop on his grand tour of Europe before heading home to Mexico City.

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"It's just iconic, isn't it?" he said.

As Jose worked his way through a pack of cigarettes, and with sunrise still three hours away, the trickle of early morning sightseers steadily grew into a crowd. By 4.30am, our numbers had swelled to 50.

Most were well-dressed, immacuately made-up couples in their 20s and 30s who took turns photographing one another in front of the masterwork of Nicola Salvi and Giuseppe Pannini, which was completed at the meeting point of three roads (as the name hints) in 1762.

"Sì, bro," Bobby, from New York, answered when I asked if he spoke English and if I could take his photo. Unlike most others there, he and Ashley had taken the photo opportunity at the end of a night out, rather than at the beginning of a hard day of tourism.

In recent years, the vibe at Trevi Fountain has shifted.

Since reopening to the public on December 22 last year, following approximately three months of maintenance work, a limited access system has been in place. Now, everyone who wishes to pose for an unobstructed picture by the fountain edge or toss a coin into the water must queue. A maximum of 400 are let in at one time.

I stopped by on Sunday afternoon and witnessed the chaos in full flow. Thousands were lined up around the fountain's perimeter, jostling to keep their place in the queue while a frenzied-looking Carabinieri blew a whistle at those attempting to sneak under the barrier. Pigeons occasionally burst into the sky, skimming our heads. At one point, a great cheer broke out around the piazza as a man dropped to one knee and offered a ring to his partner by the water's edge. She wiped away a happy tear while he waved to the crowd.

However, most outbursts of emotion were a little less positive. A small queue scuffle that was broken up by a few sharp parps of police whistle was just one of the minor flare-ups I witnessed.

This may be why many are setting their alarm clocks for the very wee hours, giving them enough time to glam up and grab an empty paving slab next to the water. That said, even the early birds seemed to be finding it hard to get the right shot.

A Bengali woman wearing a wedding dress enjoyed a good five minutes strutting her stuff in the prime central spot before a clutch of particularly glamorous influencers popped up behind her.

Not only is the secret to a great Trevi shot out, the rapid rise in Rome visitor numbers is increasing competition. According to Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, the new chairperson of the World Travel and Tourism Council, Rome will welcome 60 million visitors this year, and perhaps 65 million next.