A young Dutch man has been reprimanded by Italian police for allegedly vandalising a historic Roman wall while on holiday.
The incident took place in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town that, like Pompeii, was covered in volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The Italian law enforcement agency, the Carabinieri, said in a press release on Monday that tourists had “signed” the building’s wall. Domus Sunday Night in Town Domus It was a townhouse-like residence for an ancient family.
The 27-year-old was on holiday in southern Italy at the time.
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A 27-year-old Dutch man has been arrested on suspicion of vandalising an ancient Roman wall. (Getty Images/Carabinieri)
“A 27-year-old Dutchman on holiday in Campania decided to leave a mark of his travels by writing his signature in marker on the ancient plaster of a house built from the ash of Vesuvius,” a police statement read. “Using a black marker, [was] Not disappear.”
“The man was quickly identified and reported on suspicion of damaging and defacing artwork.”
Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said on Facebook that the suspect was “an act of vandalism” [the] Oxidation [the] artwork.”
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Police say Dutch tourists vandalised the ancient wall while on holiday in Italy. (Carabinieri/Distributed via Reuters)
“Any damage is a tarnishment of our heritage, our beauty and our identity and this is why the most severe punishment is necessary,” Sangiuliano said in a statement seen by Reuters.
This is not the first time tourists have been tempted to leave their mark in Italy: last summer a British tourist apologised after defacing Rome’s Colosseum.
Ivan Danailov-Dimitrov, who was 31 at the time, carved his and his fiancée’s names into the wall, writing “Ivan + Haley 23.”
“Unfortunately, I am deeply embarrassed that I only found out about the antiquity of this monument after the incident occurred,” his letter read.[I apologize to] We apologise to the Italian people and to the whole world for the damage caused to a monument that is in fact the heritage of all mankind.”
A general view of the ruins of Herculaneum in Ercolano, near Naples, on October 23, 2019. Mount Vesuvius is visible in the background. (Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Carabinieri for further details.
Reuters contributed to this report.
