A 74-year-old resident of Rome's Trastevere district has admitted to pouring buckets of water on rowdy, drunk British tourists who disturbed her during the night. The woman, identified as Simonetta Marcellini, a former radiographer born in the area, told The i Paper that she keeps buckets of water by her window to deal with late-night noise from UK and US visitors beneath her apartment.
Marcellini said she first tries to reason with the tourists, pointing out that it is the early hours of the morning and people are sleeping. "At first I'm polite, and I point out to them that it is the early hours of the morning and that people will be sleeping. The moment they start arguing back and insulting me, I pour water on them," she said.
Decline in neighbourhood quality
Marcellini expressed frustration at the changes she has witnessed in Trastevere, claiming a marked decline in the quality of restaurants, with businesses replaced by bars and sandwich shops. She said the situation has "gotten much worse" since the Covid pandemic, adding that "regulations are fewer and our complaints from years ago were underestimated."
She said the issue could have been controlled but was "practically left unchecked," and now the area has "all the reckless partying." Marcellini decided she had had enough when she spotted tourists urinating against her building.
Tourist numbers and FCDO warnings
Rome received 22.9 million visitors last year, a figure said to be more than seven times the local population. The incident comes after British holidaymakers were warned they could face a 500 euro fine in some Italian towns for breaking local laws.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises that "some Italian towns and cities have specific laws, and you could be fined for breaking them." These include eating and drinking near certain churches, historic monuments and public buildings, and entering or bathing in many public fountains, including in Rome.
On the island of Capri, visitors are banned from bringing disposable plastic items such as bags, cutlery, cups, trays, or straws. The FCDO also warns that it is illegal to buy items from unlicensed street traders, and that removing sand, shells or pebbles from coastal areas can result in a large fine. Collecting various species of flowers, plants and herbs from mountain and wooded areas is also illegal.
