American tourist in Rome fined $450 for beer and ice cream break on historic fountain steps

When in Rome, do not eat ice cream on the Fontana dei Catecumeni.

A 55-year-old American visiting the Eternal City was hit with a $450 fine after enjoying ice cream and a beer on steps surrounding the 433-year-old fountain at 1 a.m. Saturday, the Guardian reports, citing local media.

The perimeter of the fountain, sculpted by Battista Rusconi, had reportedly been taped-off to discourage loitering on the historic site, which is protected by recently enacted legislation addressing “hygiene, decorum, safety, and law enforcement.”

Fontana dei Catecumeni (Google/)

That tape was said to have been removed from the popular site where the unidentified visitor was approached by police, who allege the man refused to move when instructed to do so. Local media said the visitor claimed he did not realize he was in violation of the law.

CNN said police fined the man, who they said “was intent on drinking and eating on part of the fountain.”

SEE: A large man threw a smaller man into a fountain outside the Hilton Midtown

The Fontana dei Catecumeni was restored in 1997. It’s one of many Roman landmarks protected by legislation passed in 2019 to protect “the historical and artistic décor” in Italy’s capital city, according to the Library of Congress. Those regulations, some of which are said to be based on statutes dating back to 1946, also prohibit swimming in fountains and “immersing animals in them.”