Filming Tourist Defacing Colosseum Leaves American “Dumbfounded” as Search for Culprit Intensifies

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Italy’s commitment to identifying and penalizing a tourist who defaced the Colosseum in Rome by carving his and his apparent girlfriend’s names into its ancient walls has been affirmed by the country’s culture and tourism ministers. Such acts of vandalism have previously led to substantial fines.

The inscription, which read “Ivan+Haley 23,” emerged on the Colosseum at a time when locals were already expressing concerns about the overwhelming influx of tourists flooding the Eternal City during this season. Ryan Lutz, a fellow tourist from Orange, California, captured the incident on video and shared it on YouTube and Reddit.

The video gained over 1,500 views on social media and caught the attention of Italian news outlets. Speaking to The Big Big News on Tuesday, Lutz expressed his disbelief that someone would deface such a significant monument, stating he was “dumbfounded.”

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Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano denounced the inscription carved into the Flavian Amphitheater, which is nearly 2,000 years old, as “serious, undignified, and a sign of great incivility.” He expressed hope that the culprits would be identified and punished in accordance with the law.

According to the Italian news agency ANSA, this incident marks the fourth occurrence of graffiti reported at the Colosseum this year. Whoever is responsible for this latest episode faces potential fines of $15,000 and up to five years of imprisonment.

Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche expressed her desire for the tourist to face consequences, emphasizing the need for respect toward Italy’s culture and history. She pledged, “We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel entitled to behave in such a manner.”

Lutz, who is currently on a two-month backpacking trip through Europe, disclosed that he witnessed the individual carving his name into the Colosseum wall shortly after completing a guided tour on Friday. Shocked by the act, Lutz decided to film the incident with his phone. He approached the perpetrator and asked, astonished, “Are you serious? Are you really serious?” In response, the individual merely smiled.

Despite Lutz’s attempts to involve a security guard, neither the guard nor their supervisor took any action, even after Lutz identified the culprit and offered to share the video evidence. The following morning, Lutz decided to post the video online after calming down. While he acknowledged the value of graffiti and art, he regarded carving one’s name as a selfish act. Lutz asserted that visitors to foreign countries should not repay their hosts “with blatant disrespect like this.”

Visitors outside the Colosseum shared Lutz’s sentiments. Diego Cruz, an American student, emphasized the importance of preserving historical heritage and learning from the past. Güldamla Ozsema, a computer engineer from Turkey, expressed frustration with disrespectful tourists and recounted similar difficulties faced by his own country in safeguarding its monuments.

The Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, supported by statistics bureau ISTAT, has reported that 2023 is on track to break records for visitor numbers in Italy, surpassing pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019.

In 2014, a Russian tourist received a fine of 20,000 euros ($25,000) and a four-year suspended jail sentence for engraving a large letter ‘K’ on a Colosseum wall. The following year, two American tourists were also charged with aggravated damage after carving their names into the monument.

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Note: This revised version clarifies details, improves readability, and removes minor errors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about vandalism

More about vandalism

• Colosseum, Rome
• Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism
• Ryan Lutz’s YouTube Channel
• ANSA – Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata
• The Big Big News