Filmed, Fined & Banned: The Kiwi Trevi Fountain dive that has Italy outraged

New Zealand has 5 million people and somehow two of them ended up in the same fountain 😭🙏

A New Zealand tourist who dived into Rome's Trevi Fountain has prompted Italians to demand increased fines and greater security to protect the landmark.

A mandatory entry ticket system introduced recently has failed to deter visitors from defying police patrols and jumping into the 18th-century Baroque monument. A brawl between two rival Roman criminal gangs on Saturday at the site has provoked further debate about whether security is adequate to protect the millions of tourists who visit the Trevi every year. During the clash, people took refuge in bars and cafes, and three people were reportedly taken to hospital.

In the latest diving incident, the 30-year-old Kiwi tourist broke away from his friends and dived into the fountain. Fully clothed in jeans, a long-sleeved top, socks and shoes, the man swam back and forth across the fountain's basin, ignoring police demands to get out of the water. He was eventually fined €500 ($994) and banned from returning to the site.

Video of the incident went viral in Italy, provoking calls for higher fines and even jail terms to deter badly behaved tourists and to safeguard the fountain.

The fountain is patrolled by police 24 hours a day, while barriers have been erected to control the flow of visitors. Since February, tourists have had to pay a fee of €2 ($3.98) to reach the edge of the fountain's basin. Rome city council is also increasing the number of video surveillance cameras in more than 50 public squares including the one surrounding the Trevi Fountain.

Roberto Gualtieri, the Mayor of Rome, was not available for comment but has previously proclaimed the ticketing system as a success.

The New Zealander's dive is the latest incident involving tourists behaving badly at the Trevi Fountain. Last year, a London-based tourist — also from New Zealand — was stopped by police and fined for wading into the fountain on a Saturday night. He was also banned from returning to the site.

Completed in 1762, the Trevi Fountain occupies one side of Palazzo Poli in the historic centre of the Italian capital. The water that feeds the fountain comes from an ancient Roman aqueduct, the Acqua Vergine.

The real souvenir was the €500 fine they made along the way 💀

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