Italians 'turn water into wine'

When wine started flowing through taps in dozens of homes during an Italian grape festival it was hailed as a miracle but now it has emerged it was more bad plumbing than religion.

Sparkling chilled white wine instead of water flowed from the taps during the Marino Grape Festival - and as part of the event free wine flows from the main fountain in the square too.

However, due to a technical error the pipes from the local vineyard which supply the marble fountain were switched to the domestic supply feeding homes at Marino, in the famous wine-making Alban Hills, south of Rome.



So when mayor Adriano Palozzi, a priest and locals gathered round the fountain following a prayer of thanks to the Virgin Mary, with plastic glasses at the ready for Marino DOC they were left disappointed as instead of fresh win, out poured the usual water.

Then came the shout of "miracolo" from one house overlooking the square and a local rushed out onto her balcony to reveal that wine was flowing from her kitchen tap.

Mayor Palozzi said: "It was a surprise and completely unexpected - workmen are fixing the problem which obviously came about through a technical error. Several houses have been affected and people were calling it a miracle which it wasn't - it was a mistake. I don't think it dampened the enthusiasm of people at the festival and everyone still had a good time."