A 37-year-old British tourist has made his mark on one of Italy’s most precious monuments, landing him in hot water with the Italian police.
On holiday with his daughters, the Brit abroad made the mistake of engraving into the fabled ruins of Pompeii near Naples.
Italian courts have charged the man with destroying and damaging artistic heritage.
“I wanted to leave a mark of my visit,” said the British tourist, according to local Italian media.
The British man is said to have engraved his family’s initials on one of the walls that have its origins back over 2,000 years.
Local media also report that the man continued to chisel his way through the historic conservation when caught by police, engraving the date of his visit.
The remains of Pompeii, a once thriving city of 20,000, is a UNESCO World Heritage site buried under volcanic ash.
The world famous site brings it some 2.5 million visitors a year.
It’s not the first time tourists have desecrated the conservation site. In 2020, police arrested a tourist after they climbed onto the roof of the Baths of Pompeii to take a selfie.
The following year, someone stole a manhole cover in the Domus of Sirico, a famous residence that was being renovated at the exact time of the Pompeii eruption.
In 2022, following the return of travel after Covid restrictions, an Australian tourist zoomed through the alleyways of Pompeii on a scooter.
And just last June, a tourist from Kazakhstan graffitied on a historic wall in the ancient complex.
