In the latest event concerning Italian monuments, a Swiss tourist was found in the Trevi Fountain in Rome at 3am on Sunday.
Police fined a 28-year-old Swiss tourist €550 after they found him in the waters of the Trevi Fountain around 3:00 am on Sunday.
Reports indicate the police intervened promptly, stopping the tourist before he could start swimming in the fountain. Along with the fine, the man received a temporary ban from visiting the Baroque monument.
This incident is the latest in a series of cases involving tourists misbehaving at the Trevi Fountain, with some attempting to recreate Anita Ekberg’s iconic scene from Fellini’s 1960 film *La Dolce Vita*.
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Lewd acts with Bacchus in Florence
Ignorant as the Swiss tourist’s actions were, they are nothing in comparison to a recent occasion in Florence.
In July, pictures emerged of a female tourist in the Renaissance city miming a lewd act on a statue of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and excess.
In photos shared by the social media account Welcome To Florence, a woman is kissing a life-size statue of Bacchus at night. The statue, a modern replica of the 16th-century work by sculptor Giambologna, stands on a plinth near the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. The original piece is in the nearby Bargello museum.
The images sparked outrage on social media, with some users calling for the woman’s arrest. One commenter lamented, “This is the result of years of attempts at turning Florence into Disneyland.”
Patrizia Asproni, president of Confcultura, an organisation that promotes Italy’s cultural heritage, condemned these “repeated shows of rudeness and barbarity,” attributing them to a sense of impunity among visitors. She advocated for the adoption of the “Singapore model,” which includes “strict enforcement, heavy fines, and zero tolerance” for misconduct.
Antonella Rinaldi, Florence’s superintendent of archaeology and fine arts, highlighted the need for tourists to respect Italian monuments, whether originals or replicas, stating, “Tourists are welcome here, but they need to respect our cultural heritage.”
“Although I doubt this lady – whom I condemn – even knows the difference,” she added.
