A Russian tourist is being hit with a $30,000 fine after he carved a 10-inch tall letter "K" into the wall on the Colosseum, ITV reported on Monday.
Guards at the Roman historic landmark caught the 42-year-old man carving the letter using a pointed stone. In addition to the fine, he also received four years of a suspended jail sentence. Italian police may have taken it so seriously because it's the fifth incidence on vandalism this year at the Colosseum.
Bur director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, said tourist aren't running wild at the site, and vandalism is in the minority, boasting six million annual visitors. A teenager from Brazil, another from Canada ad an Australian and his son were caught as well, but minors skirted charges due to their age, The Guardian reported.
"You cannot write on a historic wall, it's absolutely forbidden," Rea said.
In the 1930's Fascist Italy, vandalism was much more pronounced and hit a peak, she said.
The decision has become popular with some tourists, with Kirstie Rick, vacationing from England, saying it's a good thing to punish unruly tourists.
Despite signs urging tourists to follow the rules, Rick said she saw areas of graffiti when she was getting ready to visit the ancient monument.
"It might be an idea to put the cost on [display]," she said, feeling that the €20,000 [$30,000] fine should be enough to make vandals think twice.
