Italy Searching for 2 'Idiots' Who Jumped Into Fountain

It happened to also be a war memorial
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 23, 2018 10:00 AM CDT
Skinny-Dip at War Memorial Has Italy Hunting 2 'Idiots'
File photo of a water fountain in Italy, though not the used by the skinny dippers in the new incident.   (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Tourists love to break Italy's law against jumping into its many fountains, but two men who stripped down to their underwear for a photo-worthy dip have particularly irked locals with their fountain of choice. After all, the fountain sits at Rome's Altar of the Fatherland, which holds the tomb of an unknown soldier and represents Italy's 500,000 dead during World War I, reports the New York Times. Police are now on the hunt for the culprits, one of whom dropped his drawers for a photo obtained by the Guardian, and both of whom have been described as "English speakers."

Or, as Interior Minister Matteo Salvini calls them, "idiots." "I would know how to 'educate' these idiots if they get caught, Italy is not their bathroom!" Salvini tweeted Tuesday, per the Guardian. Police added that the scene at the monument, known in Italy as Altare Della Patria, "seriously offended the national feeling and the memory of the fallen to whom the monument is dedicated." Authorities have asked witnesses and consulates in Rome for help in identifying the pair, who could face fines of $460. (Meanwhile, Florence is combating tourists with water hoses.)

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