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Rome Cracking Down on Fountain Swimmers

By Zac Thompson

  Published: Jul 28, 2016

  Updated: Aug 23, 2018

Authorities in Rome have started cracking down on those who engage in a supposedly romantic yet entirely illegal activity: climbing into and splashing around in the city's fountains.

A pair of tourists from California were fined 450 euros (equivalent to about $500) for trying to recreate the Trevi Fountain scene in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Other recent offenders include a 22-year-old American taking a dip in the fountain near the Spanish Steps and three Italian girls splashing in the Piazza del Popolo fountain.

The summer heat could have something to do with it; recent temperatures in Italy have climbed into the mid-90s. But the police don't care: when in Rome, sweat it out as the Romans do.