SEEING RED IN ROME
The waters of Rome’s famed Trevi Fountain were running red this weekend and it wasn’t because the Italians were celebrating Christmas early. Rather, according to Italian newspapers, a man threw a bucket of red paint or dye into the 18th-century monument and colored its water bright red. Police say the crime was committed in front of a crowd of astonished tourists and residents, and the suspect remains at large.
Fountain technicians were forced to shut off the water before restoring a clear flow. According to news reports, the legendary baroque fountain was not permanently damaged and the marble statues depicting the sea deity Neptune on his chariot had not absorbed the color.
Millions of visitors flock to the monument, designed by architect Nicola Salvi, each year. It has been a tourist hotspot since Anita Ekberg seductively splashed in its waters in Fellini’s 1960 masterpiece “La Dolce Vita.” These days the fountain’s waters are off limits to swimmers. Most people now must be satisfied with flipping coins into the fountain; tradition says that doing so promises a prompt return to the Eternal City.
Today an Italian news agency reported that a group has claimed responsibility for the act. The red paint was reportedly dumped as a protest for expenses incurred in organizing the Rome Film Festival and symbolically referred to the event’s red carpet.
STAYING SAFE IN PUERTO RICO
A warning to all of you travelers bound for Puerto Rico. Tourism officials in the tropical locale are alerting visitors about dengue fever, a flulike, mosquito-borne disease that’s threatening to reach epidemic proportions through much of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Puerto Rico health officials say the number of dengue cases in the area has more than doubled in the last few months. But, it adds that health workers are “fumigating popular public areas on a daily basis.” Health officials are advising visitors to apply mosquito repellent, keep hotel doors and windows closed, and “avoid being outside from dusk until dawn.”
The Center for Disease Control also recently issued a travel notice, which stated that a dengue outbreak has been reported in French Polynesia and Palau in the South Pacific. And according to a Pan American Health Organization, dengue fever could exceed 1 million cases in the Western Hemisphere by the end of the year — including more than 67,000 cases in Mexico.
It’s important to note that there is no vaccine to prevent dengue fever. Doctors say if there are bugs around, you’re at risk. All you can do is avoid getting bitten. Experts recommend using mosquito repellent with at least 25% DEET; wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants; and staying indoors as much as possible.
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