Tourists arrested after etching initials into Rome’s Colosseum and then taking a selfie
Two American tourists have got into trouble after carving their initials into Rome’s Colosseum and then taking a selfie.
The Californian women, aged 21 and 25, used a coin to scratch their initials into the amphitheatre.
The women snuck away from their tour group to write their initials ‘J’ and ‘N’ into the ancient tourist spot, reports the Guardian.
Colosseo, incidono le iniziali sul monumento: denunciate due turiste americane http://t.co/EWgP0hMItj pic.twitter.com/k7c5PMyamp
— la Repubblica (@repubblicait) March 7, 2015
Police quickly caught the women out and they may have to face a penalty and a court appearance.
There are signs in both English and Italian that tell tourists it is strictly forbidden from defacing the site.
The pair were spotted by other tourists and reported to security, with police charging the women with “aggravated damage on a building of historical and artistic interest”, reports La Stampa newspaper.
The women reportedly said: “We apologise for what we did.
“We regret it, but we did not imagine it was something so serious. We’ll remember for a lifetime.”
Defacing the walls is strictly forbidden, as pointed out on signs in both English and Italian.
News break – March 9
