Trevi treasure trove

Roberto Cercelletta: Cashing in on tourism

A homeless man has found rich pickings at one of Rome's tourist landmarks - the Trevi fountain, where visitors traditionally discard coins and make a wish.

Since 1968 Roberto Cercelletta has been plunging into the fountain in the early hours, six days a week, and raking in a small fortune.

The daily Corriere della Sera reported that he made as much as 600 euros (dollars) a week.

Coins are collected every Monday and given to charity

According to Rome's city authorities, the charities that are supposed to get the money are losing as much as 12,000 euros a month.

But Mr Cercelletta said such reports were exaggerated.

"I sweep up only about 200-300 euros a day, not what they claim," he told the newspaper.

"I share what I make with two other unemployed people."

Making a wish

Every day thousands of tourists throw coins into the fountain and make a wish to return to the eternal city.

In 1994 Italy's highest court ruled that fishing coins out of the fountain was no more illegal than throwing them in - so the only thing Mr Cercelletta really does wrong is jump in the water.

Police say they stop him almost every day for that and issue him with the standard fine of 516 euros.

But he dodges the fine because he is homeless and unemployed.

"He lives on the sidelines of the law and there's not a lot we can do about it," said one policeman quoted by Reuters news agency.

Mr Cercelletta described himself as simply a poor old crazy man.

"Cercelletta may seem like a devil but he's really an angel amongst devils," he told the paper.