- Italian Minister of Culture condemns tourist’s carving on Colosseum as “great incivility”
- Tourist faces hefty fine and possible imprisonment for defacing iconic landmark
- Previous incidents of tourists defacing the Colosseum result in fines and detentions
The Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, describes it as a “sign of great incivility.”
A tourist who was recorded carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the Colosseum in Rome should be “identified and punished,” according to Italy’s minister of culture.
The actions of the man were characterized by Gennaro Sangiuliano as “unworthy and a sign of great incivility.”
A tourist using a set of keys to leave his imprint on the nearly 2,000-year-old building has been captured on camera online. He is wearing a blue T-shirt and carrying a black backpack.
Before turning and smiling at the camera, he inscribes “Ivan + Hayley 23” with his fiancée by his side.
Someone is heard saying, “Really, man? F** up, buddy. Stupid a****.”
Mr. Sangiuliano tweeted, “I find it extremely serious, unworthy, and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaced one of the world’s most renowned landmarks, the Colosseum, with his fiancee’s name.
“I hope that those responsible will be identified and punished by our laws.”
The tourist faces a €15,000 (£12,875) fine and possible imprisonment if captured, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
In 2015, it was alleged that two American visitors carved their initials into the Colosseum.
The Californian women scratched the letters J and N with a coin, according to the local publication Il Messaggero.
The duo, reportedly aged 21 and 25, then took a selfie.
They were momentarily detained and questioned by Rome’s police.
A Russian tourist was fined the previous year for engraving the letter K into the Colosseum.
