A tourist has been fined $650 for eating on Rome statue

An American tourist was handed a whopping fine after indulging in a sweet treat at one of Italy’s most famous sites.

A tourist on holiday in Europe was hit with a €450 ($A665) – for eating ice cream.

The 55-year-old traveller from the US was fined while on holiday in Rome, after he was caught by police eating an ice cream while sitting on the Fontana dei Catecumeni.

Rome’s strict “urban decorum” rules ban anyone from eating, drinking or sitting on fountains.

According to local media, the tourist was fined after refusing to move when warned by police.

The new rules were introduced in 2017 by then-mayor Virginia Raggi, The Sun reports.

Stream your news live & on demand with Flash. From CNN International, Al Jazeera, Sky News, BBC World, CNBC & more. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

A tourist has been fined for eating ice cream at a fountain in Rome. Picture: iStock

And the US man isn’t the only tourist to have been caught out.

In July, a British tourist was stung with a €500 ($A740) fine after dipping his feet in a fountain in Rome.

And two tourists were fined £844 ($A1440) after they got into the Trevi Fountain on holiday.

Other places in Italy also have strict rules, such as Venice and Sardinia.

While eating ice cream isn’t banned, where you eat it could see you fined. Picture: iStock

Two tourists who decided to make coffee on the steps of a historic bridge in Venice were slapped with a €950 ($A1456) fine for their antics.

And last year, holiday-makers were fined as much as €3000 ($A4400) for taking shells and stones from Sardinian beaches as souvenirs.

It’s not just Italy either – tourists in Spain could land themselves a €30 ($A44) fine if caught smoking on beaches in Barcelona. And Spanish officials have also introduced a €3000 ($A4400) fine for tourists who barbecue on the country’s picturesque beaches.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission