With the help of a key, a tourist engraved his name and that of his girlfriend (“Ivan+Hayley 23”) on one of the walls of the Colosseum in Rome. The act of vandalism was filmed, widely publicized on social media and now the man is being wanted by Italian police.
The tourist has not yet been officially identified, but there are strong suspicions that his name is Ivan, given the engraving he made on the wall of the Roman amphitheatre.
If caught by police and found guilty, the suspect could face a fine of at least €15,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years.
The Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, shared the video on the social network Twitter and described the act as “very serious” and “a sample of discourtesy” on the part of a tourist who “disfigured one of the most famous places in the world, the Colosseum, to engrave your girlfriend’s name”.
“I hope whoever did this is identified and punished according to our laws,” Sangiuliano said.
The Italian Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, calls for respect for Italy’s culture and history: “We cannot allow those who visit our country to feel free to behave in this way.”
This is not the first time that the Colosseum in Rome has been vandalized. In September 2020, an Irishman was caught carving the initials of his name. He was arrested and charged with damaging a historical monument.
A month later, a 14-year-old German girl was caught doing the same thing.
Alfonsina Russo, director of the Coliseo, speaks of “lack of education.” “Anyone who writes about monuments has not been educated about our cultural heritage.”
Source: TSF
