Tourists fined €450 after Rome police catch them in the act.

Two tourists, aged 61 and 44, were detained by Rome police as they attempted to carve their names on a base of the staircase in front of the Trevi Fountain.

After noting suspicious behaviour, police surprised the couple as they started using a coin to carve into a pillar opposite the basin of the Baroque monument.

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The two, from Germany and Slovakia, were reported for damaging a building of historical and cultural interest. They also received a fine of €450 and a temporary 'daspo' ban from returning to the monument.

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Rome mayor Virginia Raggi commended the police for their work, stating: "No tolerance for those who deface or damage the monuments of Rome."

Grazie a @PLRomaCapitale per aver fermato due turisti che tentavano di incidere i propri nomi sulla Fontana di Trevi. Per loro denuncia, multa e 'Daspo' previsto da nostro nuovo Regolamento Polizia Urbana. Nessuna tolleranza per chi deturpa o danneggia i monumenti di Roma.

— Virginia Raggi (@virginiaraggi) August 19, 2020

Photo credit: Enrico Tricoli / Shutterstock.com.