'When in Rome...': Swiss teen vandalises Colosseum, becomes second tourist to do so in a month

Another incident of vandalism has occurred at the renowned Colosseum in Rome, marking the second occurrence in less than a month. In a viral video, a Swiss teenager can be seen defacing the ancient amphitheater by carving her name into its walls. Although the identity of the teenage tourist has not been disclosed, footage of the incident has gone viral. Watch:

ROME, ITALY—A tour guide has filmed a 17yr old Swiss tourist vandalising a wall of the Colosseum, today.

It seems lessons from last month will be hard learning for this young woman, who faces heavy fines and possible jail time for this narcissistic trend. @Agenzia_Ansa pic.twitter.com/5VPHoaIG6x

— CHEF 🇫🇷 🇨🇦 Ph.D.🎓 Proud Canadian! (@Neo19890) July 15, 2023

The act was recorded by a local tour guide named David Battaglino, who expressed his shock at witnessing such vandalism. “After a few seconds my group applauded me. To her, in English, I said, ‘Do you want applause?’ The young girl understood that she had ended up in the crosshairs of those who protect art and turned away to go toward her family,” Battaglino told the Italian newspaper La Republica. This incident follows a similar occurrence a few weeks ago when a fitness instructor from Bristol inscribed his name on the Colosseum wall. The individual, named Ivan Dimitrov, later wrote a letter of apology to Rome’s mayor, acknowledging the gravity of his actions. Also Read: WATCH Vandalism in name of love: Italy outraged as tourist defaces Rome’s Colosseum with fiancee's name In the video capturing the incident in June, Dimitrov used a key to carve “Ivan + Hayley 23,” which represented his and his girlfriend’s names, into the 2,000-year-old structure. The footage drew widespread criticism, prompting Dimitrov to seek forgiveness from Italian authorities. With inputs from agencies