Nude bather arrested at Rome's Spanish Steps

Tourists crowd about the famed Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat) at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. 22-year-old American man was arrested on Sunday after an early morning naked bath in the historic Barcaccia fountain at the foot of Rome's Spanish Steps, an Italian news agency reported.

ROME (Reuters) - A 22-year-old American man was arrested on Sunday after an early morning naked bath in the historic Barcaccia fountain at the foot of Rome's Spanish Steps, an Italian news agency reported.

The man stripped and bathed in the 17th century Baroque fountain in front of a crowd of tourists, before being led away by police, AGI news agency said.

He faces charges of committing an obscene act, it said.

The incident comes less than two weeks after a drunken man was arrested for driving his car down the steps that spiral down to the fountain, one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions.