A tourist decided to use the Trevi Fountain as a water fountain. The police reacted and so did social media. Let’s just say no one was impressed.
A TikTok creator who shares content using the handle @perrinebridge posted a short clip that shows a clueless tourist using the iconic Trevi Fountain as an ordinary water fountain.
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In the video, which is captioned “What is this lady thinking?” we see a woman who is either completely unaware of how dumb her stunt is, or was perhaps taking part in a dangerous game of truth or dare.
Either way, the local police weren’t impressed by the tourist’s blatant disrespect for the centuries-old Roman wonder. Social media likewise felt this visitor was, well, too audacious to be believed.
The Trevi Fountain is a sacred site in Rome, Italy.
When you visit Rome, Italy, there are certain attractions that are simply must-sees: the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain.
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Indeed, per Travel + Leisure, the historic fountain in Rome was actually constructed of travertine stone in the 1700s, and still stands today — save some needed renovations over the years.
Given the site’s storied past, there’s zero-tolerance policy when it comes to swimming in the waters of the ancient structure, with those who break this rule being subject to a hefty fine.
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Apparently, the fountain also has have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to refilling your water bottle with the iconic — albeit refreshing-looking — fluid, as one not-so-bright tourist found out when she attempted this head-scratching feat.
The Roman police stopped the tourist immediately after the water bottle stunt at the Trevi Fountain.
The nameless tourist’s disrespectful antics were caught on video — and by a nearby officer, who loudly blew a whistle at the lady as soon as she reverse scaled the fountain with her now-filled water bottle.
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In the video, we see the authority figure angrily chide the tourist, although what exactly is said isn’t captured in the video, with one commenter lamenting they’d pay money to have heard the conversation.
It appears at the end of the short interaction between the Italian authority figure and the tourist that the latter is asked to either leave the area, or follows the officer to receive a ticket, or be forced to pay a fine.
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While we don’t know for sure what happened after the TikTok video was taken, social media sure had a lot to say about the lady who seemed to have no idea that her water bottle escapades would land her in, well, hot water.
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Many commenters speculated that the oblivious visitor to the iconic fountain was American.
“I refuse to think people can be this stupid,” lamented one dumbfounded viewer of the video.
Many people pointed out that the water in the Trevi Fountain isn’t drinkable and actually chemically treated, with someone else noting that nearby the attraction is an actual water fountain for the very purpose of refilling your water bottle to actually drink.
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“Brains not included,” joked one commenter, with someone else calling the moment emblematic of an “entitlement epidemic.”
Meanwhile, sadly, this isn’t the first recent incidence of a tourist treating a world-famous Roman relic with pure disrespect.
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Per the New York Post, over the summer not one but two tourists defaced the Colosseum, with both ignorant visitors thinking that the fabled site made a perfect canvas for carving their initials for eternity.
Although the young tourists may have felt they were engaging in a bit of innocent deviance, Italian authorities aren’t in agreement, with both tourists facing potential prison time and thousands of dollars in fines.
Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/tourist-climbs-trevi-fountain-to-fill-water-bottle