Baraccia fountain damaged

This item appears on page 4 of the April 2015 issue.

The Baraccia fountain, at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome, was damaged on Feb. 19 by Dutch soccer fans rioting before a Europa League match. 

The fountain — which was built in 1627, depicts a sinking boat and had recently been restored — had pieces chipped off, some as large as 8x3cm, and garbage was thrown into the pool.

Police arrested 23 people. The Embassy of the Netherlands blamed the incident on a subset of particularly disorderly fans.