We all know the story; if you toss a coin over your left shoulder back into the Trevi Fountain, you will return to the Eternal City. Cute, right? But nowadays, tourists are not throwing coins over their shoulders, they are throwing themselves in the fountain. And unlike the superstition, what they are returning for is their date with possibly the law.
The Moment That Went Viral
On July 27, 18-year-old Lukas Vöhser Falcón from Spain, was hanging with friends at the fountain when the actions took a turn. Out of nowhere, a guy jumped straight into the water, shoes and shorts. At first, everyone thought it was just goofing for a challenge. Five seconds later—bam—cops arrived.
The Legend vs the Reality
The guy splashed about, waist deep in Rome’s, probably, most famous fountain, with a smile on his face as if he had just hacked the system. A nice tourist gave him a hand out of the fountain, but right on the edge stood police officers, arms crossed. That smile? Completely gone.
Not a New Offense
Earlier this year, three tourists from New Zealand thought it would be a funny idea to all jump in at the same time. One of the guys, who appeared pretty intoxicated, even got kicked out, broke free and jumped back in after they escorted him out of the area. The result? A €500 fine and a lifetime drinking prohibition in Rome. Honestly, that’s probably the worst souvenir of all time.
And in another instance, I read that a drunk traveler got a life ban from the fountain area. Can you imagine saying to your grandchildren: “Yeah, I can’t go to the Trevi because I kept jumping in?”
Why It Keeps Happening
Here’s the problem: in peak summer, Trevi gets about 10,000 to 12,000 visitors per day. When you have that amount of people, the heat, and a fountain that is begging to be taken a picture with, people make bad judgment calls. The tourists think it’s harmless fun while the people of Rome think it’s disrespect. The fountain is not just a fountain, it is an 18th-century monument that holds a lot of pride for the local people.
Cops Don’t Screw Around
The July jumper? He barely had a chance to drip-dry before officers nabbed him. Witnesses report saying that they didn’t even see where he was taken to—a police station? Most likely the nearest one. Tourists gasped, phones came out, and it was captured for all time on-line.
So, if you are planning to take that dream trip to Rome, here is the story: throw your coin, take your picture, but do not get in the water to swim. Because the water in the Trevi is not for swimming, it is for legends, and maybe Tik-tok views…just not like this.
