news.telegraph.co.uk - Invalid wins over free coins in fountain Described as a huge man with a bellowing voice, Cercelletta works with two assistants and always carries a knife. Whenever his lucrative trade is threatened, he cuts himself with it, creating an embarrassing scene. The ploy always works.

The only good news for Caritas, the charity which is supposed to receive the Trevi money, is that on Sundays Cercelletta takes the day off, allowing it to collect the coins one day in seven.

Legend has it that if a visitor to Rome throws a coin into the Trevi fountain over his shoulder, his return will be guaranteed.

The monument's fame was cemented by the film Three Coins in the Fountain, and Cercelletta has now become a legend in his own right, often posing for photographs in front of the fountain.

Police say the only way to stop him would be to catch him damaging the fountain, something he never does.

1 March 2002: Euroland mourns passing of its financial friends

31 December 2001: Nervous Italians swamp helpline



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External links



Supreme Court of Italy [in Italian]



Fontana di Trevi - holidayinrome.com