After a tourist was filmed in late June carving names into the wall of Rome’s ancient Colosseum, he has sent an apology to Italian authorities. In the letter addressed to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome, the Mayor, and the City Council, Ivan Dimitrov wrote ”Aware of the seriousness of the act committed. I wish with these lines to extend my most heartfelt and honest apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage done to an asset that, in fact, is the heritage of all humanity. I admit with the deepest embarrassment that it was only as a result of what regrettably happened that I learned of the antiquity of the monument.”
Dimitrov wrote on one of the walls of the monument, using a key, the first names of the couple plus the year they were there, ‘Ivan + Hayley 23’. The episode was recorded on video, after another passing tourist recorded what was happening. According to The Guardian, the video was then posted on YouTube and eventually caught the attention of the Italian police who began a search for the man. The video, which went viral on Youtube, is titled: “Asshole tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome.”
It was only as a result of what regrettably happened that I learned of the antiquity of the monument.
Ivan Dimitrov
The act was recorded by another US tourist, Californian Ryan Lutz who told the Associated Press that he had just finished a guided tour when he saw the person “shamelessly writing his name” on the Colosseum wall. “As you can see in the video, I walk up to him and ask him, perplexed, ‘Are you serious, are you really serious,’” he recalled. “All he could do was smile at me.”
According to Lutz, he tried to warn a watchman and his supervisor, but they stood idly by, even though he pointed them to the perpetrator and showed them the video. He decided to post it the next day on social media.
Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italian Minister of Culture, spoke about the act that he considered uncivilized and absurd. “It was an act that offended all those who, throughout the world, appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history. Now I hope that justice will follow its course, rigorously applying the laws.”
The damage to the Colosseum could cost Dimitrov up to 5 years in prison and a fine between 2,500 and 15,000 euros. Dimitrov is being investigated by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office for damage to cultural property. Video footage was acquired of another tourist filming the tourist carving his name and that of his girlfriend Hayley on the walls of the Colosseum. After the vandalism, he had quietly returned home to England. Carabinieri tracked him down in London and made him an address for service so that when the investigation is closed, he can be prosecuted and not be found untraceable.
