Rome is positively overflowing with two things; incredible sights and an almost impossible number of tourists. Millions of people head to the Eternal City every year to see the Colosseum, the Pantheon, or a virtual litany of other stunning historical locations. And, for the most part, the tourists behave themselves. Unfortunately, few of them decide to act up, either due to imbibing too much vino or not knowing how to act in public. Often, it's equal parts of column A and column B.
A group of three tourists from New Zealand recently made the mistake of wading around in the recently reopened Trevi Fountain. The iconic spot had been closed for maintenance and renovations for some time, and was only reopened to the public a short time ago. Authorities escorted the trio out of the fountain only for one of them to break away and dive right back in. As expected, alcohol did play a part in the tourists' decision making process, or lack thereof.
This is a relatively common issue at Trevi Fountain during the hotter summer months as tourists attempt to cool off in the water. In this case, heat was not a factor as warmer weather is still a long way off. A fine was issued to the member of the New Zealand trio who broke away from the authorities and returned to the fountain after being removed.
Despite needing to climb over marble statues to gain access to the fountain, no damage was caused. This is fortunate as other Roman landmarks have not been as lucky. In 2023, a man from Bristol carved his name and his girlfriend's name into an inner wall of the Colosseum. He claimed that he did not understand the age or importance of the structure, which was why he did it. Regardless of the building, such an act would be considered vandalism at the very least in most places.