Italy – Mass Brawl At Rome’s Trevi Fountain Over ‘Best Selfie Spot’

As an avid fan of history, I have always liked the Hobsbawm books that categorize the different eras of the past centuries as per ‘age’.

The late Professor Hobsbawm (unfortunately an avid Communist) talked of the ‘age of capital,’ the ‘age of extremes’ and the ‘age of catastrophe.’

If he were to write a book about the youngsters of today, I bet it would be called the ‘age of narcissism,’ because how else would you describe the following report which was provided by the police department in Rome who posted the pictures themselves on Facebook.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Instagram narcissism leads to blows: 44-yo American woman and Dutch teenager start an 8-person brawl at Rome’s Trevi Fountain over prime selfie positions. <a href="https://t.co/vo3AJjpf9W">https://t.co/vo3AJjpf9W</a> <a href="https://t.co/7IWAE497Sy">pic.twitter.com/7IWAE497Sy</a></p>&mdash; Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/HelenKennedy/status/1027890553801846785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2018</a></blockquote>

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8 people got into a mass brawl over the ‘best selfie spot’ at Rome’s world famous Trevi Fountain after a 19-year-old woman, originating from the Netherlands, got into a hair pulling tussle with a 44-year-old American woman as they both wanted to snap selfies in the same position, during “a time of day when the light makes the fountain a perfect backdrop,” as one witness statement given to police declared afterwards.

Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/24573-Italy-Venice-Introduces-Measures-To-Curb-Mass-Tourism">Venice introduces measures to curb mass tourism</a>.

For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Rome, a walk to the Trevi fountain is a must, right up there with seeing the Colosseum.

Legend has it that if you toss a coin in the fountain, you will one day return to the ‘eternal city.’

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A brawl broke out by Rome&#39;s famous Trevi Fountain…over the perfect selfie spot *eye roll* <a href="https://t.co/63j1Yn6k60">https://t.co/63j1Yn6k60</a> <a href="https://t.co/QQ9fTrRxla">pic.twitter.com/QQ9fTrRxla</a></p>&mdash; Condé Nast Traveler (@CNTraveler) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNTraveler/status/1027971096992202753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2018</a></blockquote>

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However, and I can testify from the last time I myself visited some 5 years ago, it tends to get crowded. The cobblestoned streets of Rome are narrow and this is one of the places where all the tourists go.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The fight started when a 44-year-old American woman and a Dutch teenager started arguing as they tried to take the perfect selfie. <a href="https://t.co/Bx0uVYmNdK">https://t.co/Bx0uVYmNdK</a></p>&mdash; News Radio 690 (@ktsmradio690) <a href="https://twitter.com/ktsmradio690/status/1027970500071309313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2018</a></blockquote>

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The news comes only a few days after Roman city councillor Mr Andrea Coia floated the idea of disallowing people to stop at certain spots in Rome, as overcrowding has gotten to be a serious issue. Mr Coia: “We’re looking at the idea of having a route which would allow tourists to see the Trevi Fountain but without stopping.”

Earlier this year (see our related coverage), Venice introduced similar measures.

Source:

https://www.iltempo.it/roma-capitale/2018/08/09/news/fontana-di-trevi-selfie-rissa-famiglie-vigili-foto--turisti-schiaffi-pugni-1081639/