A British man carved his family’s initials into a wall at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, a World Heritage Site that offers visitors a rare glimpse of how Romans lived 2,000 years ago.
The preserved ancient city, located 14 miles from Naples, was frozen in time when it was covered by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
According to local media outlets, the 37-year-old man from Britain, who has not been identified, made five engravings on the frescoed wall using a plant object. The cravings included his and his daughter’s initials, and the date.
Photos of the engravings shared on social media showed the letters “JW LMW MW” carved into the ancient wall, besides “MYLAW” and “07/08/24”.
Staff at the heritage site noticed the engravings and immediately contacted local authorities., who reported the incident to a Torre Annuziata court.
The man later apologized for his actions, saying that he had made the etchings to commemorate their trip.
According to officials, he could face a fine of up to 60,000 euros, in addition to prison time for up to five years, thanks to new laws, which were ‘toughened’ earlier this year.
The law, which covers damaging or destroying landscape or cultural heritage, also includes a lesser charge for defacing heritage sites.
Since excavations started in the 1700s, the site has saw many badly behaved tourists, many of whom have defaced the area with initials. Several items have also been stolen over the years.
In 2022, a tourist from Australia also made the headlines after rising a moped around the heritage site.
Such behavior has increased throughout Italy since people started traveling again after the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2023, a tourist from England also sparked outrage after they carved their initials onto the Colosseum in Rome, stating they ‘weren’t aware of the monument’s age.’
The tourist, later identified as 27-year-old Ivan Dimitrov, a fitness instructor from Bristol, England, was seen carving ‘Ivan+Haley 23’ into the ancient Roman structure using a key, according to a video that was later shared on social media.
The video was shared by Gennaro Sangiuliano, the culture minister of Italy, who hoped it would help identify the vandal, who would then be sanctioned according to local laws.
It took five days for officials to determine the man’s identity. According to ANSA, an Italian news agency, Dimitrov could face up to $16,000 in hefty fines, in addition to prison time.
That same year, a German tourist damaged a 16th century fountain in Florence, Italy, when they climbed onto the fixture to take a selfie.
The tourist was later told to pay ‘a substantial fine’, though the exact figure was not revealed.
