Tourists-behaving-badly season seems to have started early in Rome this year, with three visitors from New Zealand getting in trouble long before the summer sunshine could be blamed for giddy behavior.
The trio were stopped Sunday night as they started to wade into the famous Trevi Fountain in central Rome, a frequent magnet for trouble when peak season crowds start to gather in the city.
As they were being escorted away from the area, one of the tourists, a 30-year-old man, wrestled free from the police and jumped into the fountain as the authorities gave chase, a spokesperson for Rome’s Capital Police told CNN.
“Alcohol was definitely involved,” the spokesperson added.
He was fined 500 euros (around $524) and banned from visiting the Baroque landmark for life.