Disappointing photos show how 5 'Emily in Paris' season 4 Rome filming locations look in real life

Once Emily arrives in Rome, Marcello immediately sets about taking her on a tour of the city on the back of his Vespa.

Emily is in awe as they ride right past the Colosseum, one of the city's most popular tourist destinations.

But with millions of visitors a year to the nearly 2,000-year-old structure, it would be unlikely that the two would find the main roads beside it quite so quiet.

Streets around the historic landmark are often packed with cars and minivans, while the sidewalks are usually rammed with tourists.

While visiting the Colosseum in 2022, BI reporter Joey Hadden experienced this firsthand, battling crowds and long lines and struggling to see much above the rows of heads.

In the show, Emily and Marcello are shown walking down a cobbled side street together. It's not until they turn the corner that Emily realizes they're at the Trevi Fountain.

In reality, Emily would likely have known they were approaching the stunning 18th-century site by the queues of crowds snaking around the corner of the Piazza di Trevi.

Emily participates in a tourist rite of passage: tossing a coin into the famed fountain.

The tradition is said to originate from the 1950s film "Three Coins in the Fountain."

As Marcello explains, if you throw one coin in, you'll one day return to visit Rome. Toss in another coin, and you'll find a new romance. And if you throw in three, you'll have a Roman wedding.

Emily stops at two. But out of choice, not because she's elbowed away from the fountain edge by other tourists.

In reality, it's hard to believe that Emily and Marcello would find the Trevi Fountain so quiet.

While Janiculum Hill may not be among the city's most famous tourist attractions, it still gets busy, and it's often packed with cars, tourist buggies, and mobile souvenir shops.

Nevertheless, the romantic spot offers spectacular views across the city of Rome.

It may sound odd, but taking a moment to kick back on the Spanish Steps is banned, so recreating Emily and Marcello's romantic moment is certainly not advised.

The ban was introduced in 2019 to prevent people from using the steps as a resting place after authorities said that people were obstructing others trying to get up and down the steps.

As Business Insider previously reported, sitting or lying on the steps could also incur a fine of up to 400 euros (around $450).

The stairs — made up of 135 steps — were built in the 1720s and link the Trinità dei Monti church above with the Fontana della Barcaccia below.

When Emily and Mindy (Ashley Park) arrive at the quiet and pretty Piazza Mattei, there is already a man busking in front of the Turtle Fountain.

Quite fitting for her surroundings, Mindy debuts a new song titled "Beautiful Ruins" and immediately attracts a crowd with her powerful singing.

But as the image above shows, it seems buskers may actually struggle to attract big, attentive audiences to the quiet square.