ItalyB次元官网网址檚 culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish a tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of the Colosseum in Rome, a crime that resulted in hefty fines in the past.
B次元官网网址 of the incident went viral on social media. The message reading B次元官网网址淚van+Haley 23B次元官网网址� appeared on the Colosseum at a time when residents already were complaining about hordes of tourists flooding the Eternal City in record numbers this season.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the writing carved into the almost 2,000-year-old Flavian Ampitheater B次元官网网址渟erious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.B次元官网网址� He said he hoped the culprits would be found B次元官网网址渁nd punished according to our laws.B次元官网网址�
Italian news agency ANSA noted that the incident marked the fourth time this year that such graffiti was reported at the Colosseum. It said whoever was responsible for the latest episode risked $15,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.
Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned B次元官网网址渟o that he understands the gravity of the gesture.B次元官网网址� Calling for respect for ItalyB次元官网网址檚 culture and history, she vowed: B次元官网网址淲e cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way.B次元官网网址�
In 2014, 20,000 euros ($25,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence for engraving a big letter B次元官网网址楰B次元官网网址� on a wall of the Colosseum.
The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument.
Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019.
Outside the Colosseum on Tuesday, visitors called for such monuments to be protected and preserved.
B次元官网网址淭here is a rich history here. It helps us learn from the past,B次元官网网址� Diego Cruz, an American student, said.
G眉ldamla Ozsema, a computer engineer visiting from Turkey, said his country also had difficulty protecting its monuments from disrespectful tourists.
B次元官网网址淚 really get angry with them, with this behavior,B次元官网网址� Ozsema said.
The Associated Press
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