During June spread a video where a tourist carved names on the Colosseum in Rome.
Italy’s Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano was furious and demanded that the tourist be identified and punished.
Now the man has been found and risks prison or a heavy fine.
“I think it is very serious, undignified and very rude that a tourist defiles one of the world’s most famous places, a historical heritage like the Colosseum,” the Minister of Culture wrote on Twitter.
The Minister of Culture raved about the Colosseum
The post on the social media platform contained a blurry image as well as a video showing the perpetrator carving letters into one of the walls of the 2,000-year-old amphitheater. According to the Italian news agency Ansa, “Ivan+Haley 23” is now written on one of the walls of the Colosseum.
Gennaro Sangiuliano then wrote that he wanted the perpetrator to be identified and punished in accordance with Italian law. Something that can mean up to five years in prison or a fine of more than SEK 150,000, according to TT.
The tourist identified
Now the man has been identified and is asking for forgiveness.
The tourist, who is a 27-year-old man from England, was tracked down by Italian police. In a letter to the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, he apologizes and says he did not realize how old the classical amphitheater was.
“Through these lines, I would like to express my sincere and honest apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage caused to an asset that is, in fact, the heritage of all humanity,” writes the tourist according to Italian media reports The Guardian.
“Punished severely”
The video was first uploaded to YouTube and then widely shared on social media worldwide, which brought the case to the attention of the police in Italy.
The tourist is being investigated for having damaged a cultural heritage. His girlfriend, whose name is now inscribed on the walls of the Coliseum, is not under investigation.
The 27-year-old man now risks a substantial fine or possible prison sentence. His lawyer tells the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that the man may have thought that everything is allowed in Italy.
“The boy is the stereotype of the tourist who naively believes that everything is allowed in Italy, even the kind of action that in their own countries would be severely punished.”