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'What Was She Thinking?': Video Footage Shows Tourist Scaling Trevi Fountain to Fill Water Bottle The Trevi Fountain is one of Europe's most coveted tourist attractions.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Rome's Trevi Fountain on August 14, 2022 in Rome, Italy.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, is one of the most popular attractions in all of Europe, with thousands of tourists visiting daily tossing coins into the water with the hopes that their wishes will come true.

And while crowds gathering around the fountain is nothing new, most visitors wouldn't dare help themselves to the water inside. But that's exactly what one tourist did — a woman was caught on camera trying to fill up a bottle with the coveted waters.

Related: Two Drunk American Tourists Found 'Trapped' Inside the Eiffel Tower After Impromptu Sleepover

A TikTok video by user Lex Jones that's been viewed over 1.3 million times shows a woman in a blue shirt climbing over rocks to make her way to a water spout coming out of the fountain.

@perrinebridge What is this lady thinking?! Video credit to @lex #trevifountain #italy #rome #romeitaly #trevi ♬ original sound - Walmart Jason Statham

A guard for the fountain swiftly caught the woman as she attempted to leave. The two engaged in conversation before the fountain-climber was led away.

Thousands took to the comment section to express shock and dismay.

"I refuse to think people can be THIS stupid," one user wrote. "And what was she thinking? Drinking that water?!?!?!?!?!"

Related: Man Filmed Vandalizing Rome Colosseum Identified, Faces Prison Time

"That fountain is 260 years old," another pointed out. "If every idiot started climbing all over it it could suffer damage. Marble cracks."

According to Rome's tourism website, it is believed that young lovers who drink water from the Fountain of Love (a small rectangular fountain attached to the Trevi) will "stay in love forever and will remain forever faithful to one another."

Tourists can be fined up to 500 euros for entering the fountain (roughly $544), which was constructed from 1732 to 1762. It's estimated that roughly 1,200 tourists visit the fountain every hour.

Related: Man Filmed Vandalizing Rome Colosseum Identified, Faces Up to Five Years in Prison

It remains unclear whether or not the woman was fined or arrested.

The incident follows another incident earlier this week where two intoxicated American tourists were found sleeping inside the Eiffel Tower way into the morning hours when the attraction was set to open.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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