The famous fountain in the Spanish Steps in Rome is back in the news. This time, the reason for discussing the Barkaccia fountain was given by a British tourist who decided to cool his limbs in the reservoir. He was fined 500 euros (almost 20 thousand hryvnias) for the offense.
According to Italian media reports, police caught a 42-year-old man red-handed last Saturday afternoon. In addition to a large fine, the tourist received a temporary ban on returning to the area. It was noted that Saturday’s incident occurred amid intense heat in Italy when temperatures in some parts of the country reached +40°C last weekend.
Earlier in June, an American tourist damaged the Spanish Steps by abandoning her scooter. The local authorities fined the girl and banned her from visiting the attraction for life, and in May, a guest from Saudi Arabia drove a Maserati down the stairs dating back to the 18th century (details here).
In recent months, there have been several incidents of tourists jumping into the waters of the city’s historic fountains, including the Trevi Fountain – an offense that usually carries a €450 fine.
Reference: Barcaccia Fountain, built in 1626-29, is located at the foot of the Spanish Steps, the most famous landmark in Italy. Authorship of the monument is attributed to Pietro Bernini and his famous son Gian Lorenzo. The fountain was built on the order of Pope Urban VIII Barberini (1623-1644), probably based on the motives of a boat brought here by the flood of the Tiber River.
The fountain was restored in the 18th century, again at the beginning of the 19th century, and twice at the end of the 20th century. The last restoration was carried out in 2014. A year later, the fountain was damaged during riots by Feyenoord football club fans before a Europa League match against Roma.