Rome: An American tourist was fined 450 euros (Rs 35,580) for eating ice cream while sitting on the steps of the historic water fountain in Rome, Italy. The action was allegedly a violation of Rome’s city code of conduct. Apart from the ice cream, the 55-year-old tourist also had a bottle of beer in one hand. In the small square of Fontana dei Catecumeni in the town of Monti, the tourist was in front of the police last Saturday morning. The water fountain here was built in 1589. Many people come to visit this place. The crowd of visitors is mainly at night. It was closed here on Friday so that no one could sit on the steps of the fountain. The tapes marked as closed somehow disappeared. Not knowing this, the tourist chose the step of the fountain to enjoy the beauty of the city while sipping ice cream at one o’clock on Saturday morning. When the police came and told him to move away, he was not ready to listen and the fine was imposed. It was only later that he learned about the rule that one should not sit or eat in the fountains of Rome. It was part of the 2017 laws introduced by then-mayor Virginia Raggi aimed at protecting Rome’s monuments. Such rules of conduct were first introduced in 1946. The rulemaking also includes a few rules, such as no wheeled suit cases and small wheelchairs for children, and no swimming in fountains. There have been additions to these over time. The law also prohibits the practice of drying clothes between adjacent buildings. Starting in 2018, visitors will not be allowed to sit on Rome’s own 18th-century marble ‘Spanish Steps’.
