Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images
On April 7, 2023, people gathered at the Colosseum in Rome before the Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis) prayer service as part of Holy Week.
CNN –
Italy’s culture minister is demanding the “identification and sanctioning” of a man after he was filmed allegedly carving his name and that of his fiancé on the Coliseum in Rome.
Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted on Monday: “I consider it very serious, undignified and a sign of great rudeness that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, a historical heritage (site) like the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his fiancee.”
“I hope that whoever committed this act will be identified and punished according to our laws,” he continued.
The minister’s tweet included a blurred image of the young tourist, as well as video that appeared to show him using keys to carve letters into one of the walls of the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheatre.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the inscription read “Ivan+Haley 23”.
The alleged incident happened on Friday and police were alerted by videos on social media, ANSA reported.
If convicted of a crime, the man faces a fine of at least 15,000 euros or up to five years in prison, the news agency said.
A similar incident occurred in 2020 when an Irish tourist was accused of vandalizing the Colosseum after security forces spotted him allegedly carving his initials on the ancient building and reported him to police.