Tourists fined €900 for washing feet in Roman fountain at Il Vittoriano

Two tourists from Denmark have been fined €450 each after they stopped to wash their feet in a Roman public fountain.

Police in Rome stopped the pair – a woman aged 60 and a 17-year-old boy – on Easter Sunday (16 April) at the Fountain of the Two Seas at Il Vittoriano (altare della Patria), close to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

The tourists had been sitting on the side of the fountain with their legs submerged "up to their knees" in order to cool off from the spring heat, according to authorities in the Italian capital.

"When asked for ID, the two tourists were surprised, convinced that a 'footbath' was allowed," the city hall said in a statement.

"The woman, very annoyed by the steep penalty, [and] said that she would protest at the Danish Embassy."

The arrest came after an Italian man was detained for taking a nude swim in the iconic Trevi fountain on Wednesday 12 April, where police presence was stepped up and fines for trespassing increased following a €2m restoration of the landmark.

Since January 2017, there have already been 10 violations of rules preventing trespassing in Italy's fountains, following 48 such crimes last year.

Security in the capital had been increased over the Easter weekend, with extra officers stationed at Rome's ports, train stations, and airports as well as at popular tourist sites ahead of the holiday.