Italian Police Searching for Tourist Who Carved His Girlfriend's Name Into Colosseum

As tourists from all over the world descend on Europe for the summer travel season, some visitors have been caught behaving badly, to say the least. Italy consistently draws crowds to cities all across the Stivale, with Rome being one of a big draw thanks to its deep history punctuated by landmarks like the famous Colosseum.

While the ancient amphitheater has been well-preserved since its use nearly two millennia ago, that doesn't mean people haven't tried to leave their mark there over the years. The most recent incident drew the ire of Italy's culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano. On June 26, Sangiuliano shared a video on Twitter of an unidentified man using a key to carve he and his girlfriend's names into a brick at the famed architectural site. He strongly condemned the tourist's actions.

"I consider it very serious, unworthy, and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his girlfriend," he wrote. "I hope that whoever did this will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws."

The minister’s tweet included a blurred image of the young tourist, as well as a video that appeared to show him using keys to carve letters into one of the walls of the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater. The inscription read "Ivan + Haley 23" according to Italian news agency ANSA. Police became aware of the acts through videos circulating on social media. If "Ivan" is convicted for his actions, he could face a fine of at least €15,000 ($16,435) or up to five years in prison.

It's an egregious act, but not totally unprecedented for the iconic Italian monument. In 2020, an Irish tourist was accused of vandalizing the Colosseum after security staff saw him allegedly carving his initials into the ancient walls. Back in 2014, a Russian visitor was fined €20,000 for carving the letter "K" into the stone.

The search continues for "Ivan" and "Haley." From the Italian authorities' perspective, the perpetrators should consider themselves lucky the Colosseum isn't used to sic lions on humans anymore.