It\u2019s become a real wishing hell.<\/p>\n
A New Zealand tourist\u2019s dive into Rome\u2019s historic Trevi Fountain has prompted calls for harsher penalties and tighter security to protect the iconic landmark.<\/p>\n
The footage starts off innocuously enough with two girls snapping selfies in front of the 18th-century pool. <\/p>\n
Then, all of a sudden, a 30-year-old man strides up to the edge and jumps in headfirst while fully clothed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, as well as his shoes and socks, the Telegraph reported.<\/a><\/p>\n The unnamed thirty-year-old plunges headfirst into the basin while fully clothed.<\/p>\n The long-haired hellion then swims and wades back and forth through the ancient basin\u2019s pristine waters, at one point even performing the backstroke.<\/p>\n Fed-up authorities tell the human penny to get out, but to no avail, as he continues to frolic in the synthetic spring.<\/p>\n The unnamed troublemaker was reportedly fined \u20ac500 ($582) for the stunt and banned from returning to the attraction.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disrespectful. Do the deed. Wear the consequences,\u201d said a third.<\/p>\n However, many felt that this punishment was far too lenient. <\/p>\n \u201c\u20ac500 is small change,\u201d wrote one commenter on Facebook. \u201cIf it was \u20ac5,000 they would think about it for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n The historic Trevi Fountain (pictured) in Rome. Luciano Mortula-LGM \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Another fumed, \u201cImmediate arrest and release on bail. If you don\u2019t pay, you shouldn\u2019t get out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShould have given the f\u2013kwit a month in the slammer,\u201d vented one critic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disrespectful. Do the deed. Wear the consequences,\u201d said a third.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the scenic Trevi fountain, made famous by Federico Fellini\u2019s classic film \u201cLa Dolce Vita,\u201d has become a cesspool of oft-ill-behaved tourists over the years.<\/p>\n In a similar incident last winter, another Kiwi was fined and blacklisted <\/a>after bathing in the basin. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, this month, three people were hospitalized after a brawl broke out between two rival gangs near the fountain, forcing bystanders to shelter in nearby bars and cafes.<\/p>\n