ROME — Four Italians marked the start of the new year by diving into the cold and dirty waters of Rome's Tiber River.

Hundreds of spectators gathered to watch the men plunge from the Cavour Bridge in the center of the city from a height of more than 50 feet on a cold, windy Friday.

The stunt - including flips and turns by the divers - is regarded as dangerous because the waters of the Tiber are cold and muddy, and the river is not really deep enough for a dive from such a height.

But everything went fine Friday, and one of the men emptied a bottle of sparkling wine into the river before diving.

The event is an annual New Year tradition dating to 1946, when a lifeguard who was trying to find work leapt into the river from the Cavour Bridge to advertise his skills.