Rome - They were far from home, had had rather a lot to drink ... and the temptation was just too much.
A group of Britons on a work trip to Rome went for a naked dip at dawn in one of the city’s historic fountains.
But their frivolities have now landed them in hot water, as the six colleagues, including two women and the married company director, have been arrested.
The group of architects and ecologists now face trial for an obscene act in a public place, which carries up to three years in prison in Italy.
The co-workers, who work for Cirencester-based Environmental Dimension Partnership, had been heavily drinking as they celebrated their last night in Rome, according to witnesses. Early on Sunday morning, the men stripped completely naked and waded into the waters of Rome’s famous Fountain of the Naiads in the Piazza della Repubblica – a bustling, well-lit square that is a major tourist spot and home to several five-star hotels.
They were followed by their slightly more restrained female colleagues, who went topless but kept their underwear on. The group then frolicked in the fountains, which depict the nymphs of ancient Roman mythology and contain knee-deep water on two levels, laughing as they splashed each other.
One witness described the scene as “hugely entertaining” adding: “It looked like an orgy in ancient Rome. They were completely naked, the men, and the women were just running around topless. One of them was very young and blonde.”
Another bystander, who worked in the area, said: “They were there for about half an hour singing and shouting. At first there was hardly anyone around but by the time the police came there was a crowd of people filming them and taking pictures.” Footage shows that several onlookers tried to intervene, including one man with a dog who can be seen arguing with the group.
But it was only after police officers arrived and ordered them to get out that they could be persuaded to cover up. The swimmers, who had been staying at the nearby Hotel Quirinale, which costs around £148 (about R2 600) a night, were issued fines of £125 and taken to the police station to be charged.
They were allowed to return to the UK on Sunday, where some are likely to have some explaining to do to their wives and partners.
Italian authorities have complained about loutish tourists who regularly clamber over priceless monuments and risk damaging them. In July three American tourists – two young men and a woman – stripped off and waded into the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, one of the city’s most elegant squares.
Daily Mail