Italian police have arrested a British tourist who carved his name on the Colosseum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tourist has been identified by authorities as a 27-year-old Bulgarian-born fitness trainer named Ivan Dimitrov, he has written a letter of apology to the Mayor of Rome — in which he claimed that he did not know the historical significance of the landmark. The letter, dated July 4, was also sent to the Rome prosecutor’s office and “the municipality of Rome.”
“It is with deep embarrassment that only after what regrettably happened did I learn of the antiquity of the monument,” he wrote. “Through these lines I would like to address my heartfelt and honest apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage caused to an asset which, in fact, is the heritage of all humanity.”
Dimitrov was caught on camera carving his name and the date “23/6/23” into the ancient amphitheater. The video of the incident was posted on social media and quickly went viral.
An American tourist — who had just finished a tour of the ancient landmark himself — was the one who filmed Dimitrov’s escapade and brought it to the attention of Italian police.
“And as you see in the video, I kind of approach him and ask him, dumbfounded at this point, ‘Are you serious? Are you really serious?’” Lutz said later. “And all he could do is like smile at me
Police were able to identify the tourist using the video and his passport information. He was arrested in his hotel room and charged with damage to cultural heritage.
The Colosseum is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy, and it is illegal to damage the site in any way. The tourist faces a fine of up to €20,000 and up to three years in prison.
The arrest of the British tourist has sparked outrage in Italy. Many people have expressed their disgust at the man’s actions, and they have called for him to be punished severely.
“This is a disgrace,” said one Italian citizen. “The Colosseum is a national treasure, and it is unacceptable that someone would deface it in this way.”
“This man should be made an example of,” said another. “He needs to be punished so that others will think twice before doing something like this.”
Italian authorities are looking for a tourist who scribbled graffiti on a wall of the Colosseum https://t.co/SvYHEe3ACQ pic.twitter.com/460v1mLqhj
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 27, 2023
