British embassy to Italy warns UK tourists not to bathe in Rome fountains

Tourism

British embassy to Italy warns UK tourists not to bathe in Rome fountains

16 Jul, 2019

Visitors from UK warned not to enter waters of Rome's fountains.

The British embassy to Italy has warned British visitors travelling to Rome not to bathe in the city's fountains, according to updated travel advice provided on its website.

The warning to British travellers follows Rome's introduction of new legislation that bans bathing in historic fountains, with offenders facing fines of up to €450.

The message from the British embassy is: "Bathing in all Rome public fountains is prohibited. More generally do not bathe in any Italian fountain."

In recent weeks Rome police have fined dozens of tourists for entering the waters of the city's historic fountains.