Prankster reddens Rome fountain

Flickr user Antonio Amendola took this stunning photograph of Rome's Trevi Fountain on Friday. A prankster dumped dye or paint into the fountain in the middle of the afternoon. There was no permanent damage. From an Associated Press article:

The news agency ANSA reported that a box was found 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, ANSA reported.

Link to AP article, Link to Amendola's Flickr stream (Thanks, Lindsay Tiemeyer!)

[#1 posted by DragonPhyre , October 22, 2007 1:19 PM]

That's how all public demonstrations should be done: Simple, elegant, and without permanent damage.

While I may or may not stand behind their message, I do stand for how they did it. Bravo.

[#2 posted by Merc , October 22, 2007 1:29 PM]

Is the Italian police overreacting and calling it a "terrorist act" yet?

[#3 posted by peetah , October 22, 2007 2:15 PM]

The difference between the US and Europe, in Europe they consider a red fountain a protest, in the states they call it a marketing campaign. A few weeks ago Showtime dyed a few fountains blood red for their show Dexter.

• Vegas


• Boston


• Philly

[#4 posted by Cayden , October 22, 2007 2:47 PM]

What the AP seems to have missed is that the guy purports to be a second-gen Italian futurist. While the art movement is pretty...uh...right wing, in general, there is something very compelling and beautiful about it.

Check other reports at Eternally Cool.

It's in line with a proper futurist ideology.

C

[#5 posted by Joe , October 22, 2007 3:30 PM]

Yuk! I wish you wouldn't give publicity to this kind of thing; some copycat will probably do the same with a more poorly chosen ink or dye, and cause permanent damage.

[#6 posted by steinum , October 23, 2007 12:51 AM]

I found this to be very beautiful. Elegant just as the poster before said. All i can do is envy the people to have seen in first hand. The wonders of photography brining world to the masses.

[#7 posted by Mike , October 23, 2007 6:31 AM]

The beauty comes from the original fountain. The red dye is just a rather vague publicity stunt.

[#8 posted by Anonymous , March 3, 2009 11:31 PM]

I think it is beautiful. It is not vandalism. It is an action with a message. I think it does these people wrong to simply call them "pranksters." What an understatement that is.