by Many people want to leave their mark on history, but carving your initials into ancient buildings on a UNESCO World Heritage site is not the smartest way to do it.
Thanks to an unnamed British tourist, travelers to Pompeii in Italy can now see the nearly 2,000-year-old House of the Vestals with a touch of modern vandalism. The 37-year-old man was observed by staff at the historic site using a blunt object to engrave five carvings into an exterior wall of the ancient house.
According to Italian news agency ANSA, the engravings include the initials of the man himself, the initials of his daughters and the date of the engravings, August 7. The engravings, located next to a frescoed entrance, read “JW LMW MW,” above another that reads “MYLAW 07/08/24.”
Employees of the UNESCO World Heritage Site reported the vandalism to the police.
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The tourist reportedly apologized to Italian authorities and said he had intended to leave a mark on his family’s visit to the ruins of Pompeii.
The British traveler is accused of “damaging artistic heritage,” which carries a fine of 20,000 to 60,000 euros (about 30,000 Canadian dollars) and a possible prison sentence of up to five years, according to CNN. He also faces a lesser charge of damaging cultural monuments, which carries a fine of between 10,000 and 40,000 euros.
There was no public comment from the ancient site regarding the vandalism.
In the past, culture ministers had stated that tourists who had made similar engravings in the ruins of Pompeii would have to personally pay for the restoration.
Pompeii was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, burying the city and its inhabitants under volcanic ash. The ruins have been well preserved ever since, and millions of tourists flock here each year to admire the stunning architecture and lavish furnishings.
Vesuvius is considered an active but unused volcano. The last eruption occurred in 1944.
The ruins of Pompeii are located near the city of Naples in the Italian region of Campania.
This incident of vandalism is far from the first time a tourist has been caught defacing an ancient monument. Last year in Rome, several travelers were seen carving the nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum.
Bad tourist behaviour – including photographed groping of statues, capsizing gondolas and illegal surfing on Venice’s Grand Canal – as well as rising prices in Italy’s major cities have soured many locals’ hospitality towards tourists. The feelings appear to be spreading across Europe, where anti-tourist sentiment has gripped a number of destinations, including Spain.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
