The Scarlet Fountain

On Friday, October 19, a number of tourists wondering around the Eternal City witnessed a strange crime with great surprise: a man threw paint into the waters of Rome 's famous Trevi Fountain, that within minutes turned blood red. The act seems to be inspired by the Futurists of the early 1900's...


The act was recorded by security cameras in the area and broadcast by national Television. The fountain almost instantly started spurting red water, a strange and unique spectacle for tourists and Romans as well. It seems that regardless of early worries the precious marble of the fountain was not damaged by the protest act. The declared goal of the protester's group is to turn our "grey bourgeois society into a triumph of colour", while fighting against "everything and everyone with a spirit of healthy violence".



Vittorio Sgarbi, well-known artistic critic and politician, stated today that the act was very interesting, in perfect futurist style. Meanwhile people around Rome thought the Fountain had turned red as part of the celebrations for the Rome Cinema Festival: ironic assumption, since this manifestation is one of those these futurist protesters are openly fighting against!