American tourist fined €450 for eating ice cream on the steps of a fountain in Rome Abroad

The 55-year-old tourist, who also had a beer in his hand, was reprimanded by police in the early hours of Saturday at the Fontana dei Catecumeni, on a small, picturesque square in the Monti district.

Built in 1589 by Battista Rusconi, the fountain is a popular place for people to gather in the evenings, but on Friday it was shut off to prevent anyone from sitting on the steps. The barrier tape had reportedly been removed, leaving the man unaware that he was about to commit an offense when he sat down at about 1am.

According to the newspaper la Republica, he remained seated when the police warned him, after which the police fined him. The man said he was not aware that it is forbidden to eat, drink or sit by the fountain. This law is part of a series of rules introduced by then-mayor Virginia Raggi in 2017 as she tried to restore decency in the Italian capital. The restrictions even curbed the Roman custom of hanging laundry to dry between neighboring buildings.

Since 2018 it is also forbidden to sit on the Spanish Steps. In June, an American tourist was fined for swinging a UNESCO World Heritage electric scooter down, allegedly causing $25,000 in damage. Two weeks earlier, a visitor from Saudi Arabia drove a Maserati down the stairs.