Tourist sorry for carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the Roman Colosseum
A British tourist has asked for forgiveness for vandalizing the nearly 2000-year-old Colosseum in Rome.
Ivan Dimitrov sparked outrage online in late June after being seen carving “Ivan+Hayley 23”—his and his girlfriend’s names—into the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The viral footage has garnered over 300,000 views on social media.
Reputo gravissimo, indegno e segno di grande inciviltà, che un turista sfregi uno dei luoghi più celebri al mondo, il Colosseo, per incidere il nome della sua fidanzata. Spero che chi ha compiuto questo gesto venga individuato e sanzionato secondo le nostre leggi. pic.twitter.com/p8Jss1GWuY
— Gennaro Sangiuliano (@g_sangiuliano) June 26, 2023
Local media reported on July 4 that the 27-year-old has been tracked down from hotel records and has expressed “sincere remorse” for his actions.
“He told us he was very upset by what he had done, and he kept apologizing for it,” Major Roberto Martina of the Italian Carabinieri said, adding that he “was worried about the consequences of any trial.”
“We didn’t ask him why he did it—that will be for a judge to hear. We just told him that he was a suspect and was part of the investigation,” she continued.
According to Martina, Dimitrov could face a five-year jail sentence or up to €15,000 (almost P1 million) in penalty for vandalizing the cultural site.