Tourists Can't Get Enough of (Vandalizing) World Heritage Sites
Yet another tourist was recently caught defacing a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy.
To some people, their name is so nice that they're willing to commit actual crimes if that means seeing it carved on a surface.
A Kazakh tourist was stopped last Saturday in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, Italy after he was caught writing the letters "Ali" on the wall of a 2nd-century building known as the House of the Ceii, which is part of the park, Euronews reports. The Roman city of Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning it is not only renowned and historically relevant but also a protected place.
Now, the tourist will have to, quite literally, pay for it. The man was reported to the Carabinieri (Italy's national gendarmerie, which primarily deals with domestic and foreign policing duties), where damage evaluations will be made, and he will have to cover the costs of any needed restoration work.
"Bravo to the Ministry and Ales employees who promptly intervened," Park Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel is quoted saying. "Excellent collaboration with the Carabinieri, whom we thank for their promptness."
This isn't the first time an Italian monument has been ruined by disrespectful tourists who think carving their name on the landmark is okay. Just around the same time last year, as Thrillist previously reported, a man was caught on video defacing Rome's Colosseum, where he carved his and his girlfriend's name on the wall of the 2,000-year-old building. If caught, the man faced more than $16,000 in fines at the time.