A man threw a bucket of red paint or dye into Rome’s Trevi Fountain on Friday (Oct 19), colouring the waters of the famous monument bright red in front of an astonished crowd.
The man managed to escape, leaving a box near the fountain containing leaflets by a group that claimed responsibility for the act. The leaflets said the red paint was a protest for expenses incurred in organizing the Rome Film Festival and symbolically referred to the event’s red carpet.
Police arrived and technicians briefly shut off the water before restoring a clear flow; experts said the baroque fountain was not permanently damaged and the marble statues depicting the sea deity Neptune on his chariot had not absorbed the colour.