Crowds gathered to watch the 17-metre (52-foot) dive off the picturesque Cavour bridge, a tradition begun more than a half-century ago.
ROME (Reuters) - Three middle-aged men plunged into 2008 with a New Year's Day dive into Rome's chilly Tiber River on Tuesday.
Crowds gathered to watch the 17-metre (52-foot) dive off the picturesque Cavour bridge, a tradition begun more than a half-century ago.
"I hope you all have a wonderful New Year," said one of the divers, addressing onlookers in Italian. He dedicated his plunge to world peace.
"Lets stop all these wars. Everyone should come down to the river with me instead of killing each other - Come On!"
!ADVERTISEMENT!Italy's Corriere della Sera said on its Web site that two of the men were aged 40 and the other 56. Two were Italian and the third born in Syria, the report said.
(Reporting by Eleanor Biles; writing by Phil Stewart; editing by Keith Weir)
