Police enforce rules obliging people to wear masks in crowded places.

Rome police have fined a man €400 for refusing to wear a mask among the crowd at the Trevi Fountain on Friday night, after he made fun of the officers by saying "covid-19 doesn't exist," reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The 29-year-old Italian, whose friends also mocked the situation before eventually putting on their masks to avoid the penalty, became the first person in Rome to be fined under the new regulations obliging people to wear masks in crowded areas at night.

• Italy shuts discos and orders mask-wearing at night

The move is part of a coordinated operation by police to monitor the capital's smaller squares and streets where social distancing is difficult to maintain, in addition to the usual nightlife hotspots of Ponte Milvio, Trastevere, S. Lorenzo, Campo de' Fiori, Pigneto and Piazza Bologna.

• Covid-19 in Italy: latest official data

The news comes as Italy registered 1,071 new covid-19 cases on 22 August, the highest number since 12 May when the country was still in lockdown, with 215 new cases in the central Lazio region which includes Rome, according to data released by the Italian health ministry.

In Italy masks must be worn in public areas where social distancing is not possible between 18.00 and 06.00.