Rome police ‘trace’ fountain vandal

Italian authorities have arrested a 52-year-old man suspected of vandalising one of the fountains in Rome’s landmark Piazza Navona.

The suspect, from Rome, was apprehended in the city centre overnight after police recognised him by his distinctive shoes. CCTV footage had captured an overweight middle-aged vandal using a rock to break off marble chunks of the Moor Fountain in the early hours of Saturday.

Investigators said he was in a confused state when arrested in central Rome. “I wanted to draw attention to personal problems I’ve had with the magistrature,” he was quoted as saying.

Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno congratulated the police for identifying and arresting the man and said he hoped he would be given “exemplary punishment”.

Work was due to begin yesterday to repair the damage, estimated at €10,000.

The chunks of marble broken off by the vandal have been recovered and may be re-attachable, according to Umberto Broccoli, the Rome municipality’s cultural heritage chief.

In a basin of pink marble on the south end of the square, the fountain holds statues of a Moor battling with a dolphin, surrounded by four Tritons. A tourist favourite, the fountain was designed by Giocomo della Porta in 1575.

The statue of the Moor, by Baroque master Bernini, was added in 1653.