Rome’s Colosseum once again a tourist graffiti target

Despite widespread outrage these sorts of incidents seem to repeat every year

It appears that the drive to attach one’s identity to a work of art that’s stood the test of time is a reflex that will never die in the heart of tourists visiting Italy. A case in point is the latest incident involving a foreign visitor carving his name on the walls of the Colosseum in Rome last Friday.

The 19-year-old youth, hailing from Ukraine, was caught carving his name using keys on a wall between the entrance of the first level of the ancient amphitheatre and the atrium. He was caught red-handed by another tourist who called the security officials.

After being apprehended, the Ukrainian tourist now faces the possibility of paying a fine of up to 15,000 euros plus a sentence of between 2 and 5 years for his behaviour.

Last summer, the Colosseum was once again the centre of attention and outrage when another Eastern European tourist (a Bulgarian living in the UK) was filmed scratching his name and that of his girlfriend.

Italy has no tolerance for cultural vandalism

At the start of this year, the Italian government passed tougher punishments for vandals caught defacing the country’s heritage monuments. Interestingly enough, in January, that move was prompted more in response to the increasing attention-grabbing operations performed by eco-activists, such as throwing paint in the Trevi Fountain.

However, come summer and then it’s the tourists, or at least a few black sheep among them who get the criticism and for a good reason.

All things considered, the Ukrainian offender may actually get off cheaply given that the fines set for cultural heritage defacement under the new legislation reach up to 60,000 euros.

In that regard, two German tourists could be fined up to 40,000 euros for writing graffiti on Florence’s Ponte Vecchio bridge after being caught in the act last week.