Tourist carves his girlfriend's name into Rome's Colosseum, sparks outrage

Rome: A man was filmed allegedly carving his and his fiancee's names into the Colosseum in Rome, reported CNN.

Italy's culture minister is calling for the man to be "identified and sanctioned."

On Monday, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture of Italy tweeted, "I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, a historical heritage (site) such as the Colosseum, to carve the name of his fiancee," as per CNN.

"I hope that whoever carried out this act will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws," his tweet added.

There was also a blurred image of the young tourist, as well as the video that purportedly shows him using keys to carve letters into one of the walls of the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheatre.

CNN quoted the Italian news agency ANSA saying, "The inscription read Ivan+Haley 23."
The alleged incident took place on Friday, and authorities were informed by social media recordings, according to ANSA.

If convicted, the man may face a punishment of at least EU 15,000 (USD 16,360) or up to five years in jail, according to the news agency.

In 2020, an Irish visitor was accused of vandalising the Colosseum after security guards noticed him apparently scratching his initials into the ancient building and reported him to the police, CNN reported.