Taking a dip in Rome will cost you $372

There has been a spate of cases in which tourists stripped off and plunged into centuries-old Baroque fountains. Photo / 123RF

Tourists tempted to seek respite from Rome's torrid summer heat by taking a dip in the city's historic fountains are to be hit with a fine of 240 ($372).

The new decree was announced yesterday by Virginia Raggi, the Mayor, after a spate of cases in which visitors stripped off and plunged into centuries-old Baroque fountains.

"The beauty of Rome must be respected by everyone," Raggi wrote on Facebook. "We will not tolerate behaviour that contravenes decorum and we want to protect the historic, artistic and archaeological heritage of Rome."

The decree prohibits tourists - and Romans, for that matter - from paddling or swimming in 40 historic fountains, including the famous Trevi Fountain, immortalised in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita, in which Swedish actress Anita Ekberg waded into the thigh-high water.

Tourists are also banned from eating or drinking while sitting on the edge of the fountains, clambering over them or allowing pets to drink from them.

The list includes "La Barcaccia", a boat-shaped fountain at the foot of the Spanish Steps, as well as marble monuments in Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Navona and in the Trastevere district of the city.

The ban comes just as the mercury is expected to reach 32C. The combination of heat and fountains has proved too much for many tourists in the past.