768. Roman confusions, passions, annoyances and warnings. What a day!

The thing I was most excited to see in Rome caused me some confusion. Remember the fountain scene from La Dolce Vita? The fountain is called "Fontana di Trevi" and I was surprised to find that time has not been kind to it:

What happened to the once magnificent fountain?

Also disappointing about the fountain was the number of knick-knack-paddy-whack-crap peddlers. While my friend and I were pondering the importance of Trevi and perplexed by the crowds coming to see it, we were accosted by no fewer than five. Annoying!

"Look! Bending, stretchy, stupid thing! For you, ONLY 2 EURO!"

"It's for your camera," is all he managed to say before my friend no'd him away.

Still, as annoying as they were, I can't help but wonder what sort of life these men had back home, where a life selling unsellable crap to tourists would be preferable to the one they left.

Italians are passionate about football (soccer to us Americans). Yesterday we saw many people clad in red, green, and white:

One guess as to who Italy was playing against? A hint:

In lovely Piazza Navona we witnessed the fuzz exercising their authority. The cool man in the black leather jacket below had just finished playing Stairway to Heaven on his electric guitar--that many people, myself included, enjoyed--when he got busted. The officer was kind enough to let the poor man finish the song:

At least he wasn't caught doing anything embarrasing! Imagine the fellow who was caught in this act, the act that inspired a special warning sticker for all of Rome's Metro trains:

When in Rome, don't rub your butt on the Metro trains. You've been warned.