A tourist has sparked fury after carving names on the wall of the Colosseum in Rome.
Shocking online footage shows the man scratching “Ivan and Hayley” into the almost 2,000-year-old landmark that attracts six million people to the Italian capital every year.
The English-speaking man filming the incident lambasts him for damaging the ancient site.
He can be heard saying: “Are you serious man? That is f***ed up man. Stupid a*****e.”
Italy’s culture minister condemns the actions of a tourist who carved his girlfriend’s name into the Colosseum, slamming the man’s behaviour as “very serious” and “a sign of great incivility”, adding that he hopes the individual can be identified and fined.pic.twitter.com/1vNwlGIklw
— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) June 26, 2023
But the tourist is undeterred and continues scrawling while flashing a big grin on his face.
The video was flooded with critical reactions after it was posted on Reddit.
“People like this should have their passports revoked,” said one person. Another user added: “How can one be this clueless?”
The person who shared the clip said he reported the man to the authorities.
He wrote: “I reported to staff but they sadly didn’t seem too bothered. I shows them the video and pointed the guy out, and they said they told the police but didn’t seem to want the video. I left and didn’t find out what happened.”
The ancient Roman amphitheatre is Italy’s most-popular tourist attraction, pulling in more than six million visitors a year, with more bookings than any other site in the world, including the Louvre and the Statue of Liberty.
Defacing the walls is strictly forbidden, as pointed out on signs in both English and Italian.
