US tourists caught carving names into Rome’s Colosseum

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

US tourists caught carving names into Rome’s Colosseum

Two California women break away from tour group to scratch their initials into ancient amphitheatre, where defacing walls is strictly forbidden

Rosie Scammell
Sunday 8 March 2015 11.03 EDT

Tourists are once again getting into trouble in Italy, with two American women caught carving their names into Rome’s Colosseum.

The Californians, aged 21 and 25, snuck away from their tour group on Saturday and began scratching their initials into the amphitheatre with a coin. They managed a “J” and an “N” around 8cm high, before taking a selfie with their handiwork.

Police were quick to catch the two Americans and report them for damaging the ancient site. The women may now go in front of a judge and face a penalty.

Defacing the walls is strictly forbidden, as pointed out on signs in both English and Italian. But some visitors think little of breaking the rules as they view the crumbling monument differently from other top sites such as the Vatican, said a spokesman for the Special Superintendency for the Archaeological Heritage of Rome.










Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/08/us-tourists-caught-carving-names-into-colosseum-rome

[Paper Roses]

1. I have no sympathy for these kids. They are old enough to know better. n/t

[groundloop]

2. total self absorbed dumbasses

It would serve them right to get jail time.

[jakeXT]

3. They are probably too young ...

[DFW]

4. However, if two Italian women were caught carving their initials onto the Liberty Bell

Sean Hannity would be screaming for the death penalty.

They should see the inside of an Italian prison for a year. That might cure them of thinking it's OK to deface 2000+ year old monuments of other peoples' heritage. I'll bet they even found it shocking when ISIS savages went destroying cultural heritage in Mosul.

[paleotn]

5. You just can't take Americans anywhere

Self absorption at its worst.

[Catherine Gross]

6. US tourists caught carving names into Rome’s Colosseum

That is why we have nothing beautiful here. People dont respect anything. Who is going to know their names when they see them scratched into the wall? No one! I was a egotistic and selfish act

[on point]

8. No sympathy. Jail, heavy fine, banished from italy

Too often have been embarrassed to USA citizens feeling entitled to deface these ancient works for their own ego

[Adrahil]

33. I agree, except...

It's not just Americans who do this kind of stuff. When I was last in England, it was a group of Spaniards who were caught defacing monuments in Salisbury Cathedral.

[truthisfreedom]

9. Our culture is a wreck.

[geek tragedy]

10. Assholes. Throw the book at them. nt

[benld74]

11. I did mine in a brick of the Great Wall,,,,,,

[pangaia]

14. :>))))))))))))))))))

[McKim]

12. And Here Too

This is American popular culture and its influence on the young. They are not taught to respect anything, least of all laws or manners.
Very sad. Many Native American Petroglyphs in my area have also been damaged. They have no chance in life so they push back against society with acts of vandalism. These women are probably entitled brats from the suburbs who marked up their high school. Now they are way too old for this sort of thing.

[Ino]

22. It's not just Americans...

from the OP's link...

The Russian was the fifth person to be stopped for defacing the ancient monument last year, with others hailing from Australia, Brazil and Canada.

I'm NOT excusing their behavior, BTW. Just saying this idiocy is not confined to Americans.

[SwissTony]

27. Exactly. Stupidity recognises no national boundaries. n/t

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

13. A perfect definition of the term

"ugly american"

[840high]

15. ...^ that

[SwissTony]

28. I've been embarrassed by the behaviour of my fellow Australians.

I actually bought two English guys (that I didn't know) a pint after a couple of Aussies had been behaving like dicks towards them. The English guys could both have ripped the Aussies apart, but they were mature enough to just laugh it off.

[uppityperson]

16. They should be penalized like the Russian tourist was.

The Californians’ lawbreaking comes little over three months after a Russian tourist was caught carving a 25cm letter into the Colosseum. The 42-year-old was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and a €20,000 fine, although owing to a lack of funds he has not paid the penalty.

[DeSwiss]

17. In the finest traditions of humanity I salute you!

- Ancient graffiti is today considered historically significant works of art. One day they'll be famous instead of infamous!

[7962]

18. Lord, how embarrassing! But they ARE from California........

Wonder what the punishment will be

[vkkv]

24. If they were from the south, they wouldn't know how to

WRITE THEIR INITIALS.

[CBGLuthier]

26. You may have just won the oddest and dumbest south bashing post in the history of DU

So if two dumbasses come from the great liberal and blue bastion of California you think somehow the whole thing just needs to be turned into a slur against a region that has not one damned thing to do with it.

Classy. Oh so classy.

BTW, my wife and I are from fucking Oklahoma and we managed to see all the wonderful buildings in Rome a few months ago and not once did we have the urge to deface them.

[Rebubula]

32. LOL....such bravery

I am guessing you do not travel much and only recount what you read online.

[vkkv]

42. I'm going by the recent idiots they vote into office

Congressmen and Governors... really says a lot about those who live in the south, am I wrong?

[appalachiablue]

43. What idiots voted in the GOP governors in Red State Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio & New Jersey?

Idiot southerners, I doubt it. There's plenty of ignorance, hate and violence throughout the US we know. The South makes up a good deal, but not all of it. Another DUer questioned a poster who referred to Wisconsin as upper Mississippi recently, the same regional disparaging. When in NY, I listened to plenty who dumped on NJ, and in DC, the VA and MD residents who bashed each other. Indians and Pakistanis who work together yet regard each other with contempt are also baffling to me.

[sakabatou]

19. Idiots

[MadCrow]

20. Graffiti

I remember seeing some of our GI's spray painting an ancient wall in Iraq and laughing about it. Remember when the American Army in Baghdad was protecting the Oil Ministry with tanks while looters were ransacking the museum just down the street. When one of the museum officials begged them to move one of the tanks to protect the museum, they refused saying that was against their orders. So much for respect and tradition!

[yeoman6987]

38. Yes but were talking Italy for goodness sake

This is a tragedy. Not sure it was in Iraq. We don't know if it was truly an artifact as it has not been confirmed. I am not so concerned about that alleged story. The Italian destruction is a real factual story. Italian jail for a year? Don't know how they will eat as family has to provide meals to prisoners.

[jtuck004]

21. Training for a job with ISIS. n/t

[romanic]

23. Uncultured morons.

They should have their passports revoked.

[LuckyLib]

25. Dumb and Dumber. Hope the Roman courts hit them where they live -- their designer pocketbooks.

[Diclotican]

29. Judi Lynn

Judi Lynn

I hope they got what they deserve, defecating ancient roman ruins is not a good thing to do - rather unpleasant business, and I do hope they got a fine and maybe even some prison time for their effort...

But sadly enough, it is not the first time ancient rome have been defecated by someone who wanted to carve their names into its buildings, and ruins - some of the same who made Rome a ruin in the first place (them who could read) - was writing their names into the same ruins - for the future to read.... The Romans was very good in doing that, when they visited Greece - the Levant - or if they was lucky enough - travel to the great Country of Egypt - who already back then was a country of many wonders - and who still was a country of plenty, according to the old historians...

My ancient forbearer's - the vikings was also very busy writing on others property - even in Constantinople, todays Istanbul - in Hagia Sophia no less, have carvings from the time when Vikings was part of the royal court guard One wrote Here i Einar wrote.. The rest is not written down, like he was inconvenient by someone at that time.. But even after 800 year, it is clearly visible, if you know where to look.. - they was possible been seen as more stable and trustworthy to the Empire than their own royal court guards, who already by then had the habit of choosing their own emperors, if the emperor was not keeping the guards happy... And the vikings who was in the greatest City on earth at that time, did a good job protecting the emperor - and also to do the empire's great service when they invaded and took back areas who had fallen to others over the years... The vikings was all over the map - and even in the service of the East Roman, or Byzantine Empire...

Diclotican

[Frank Cannon]

35. Defecating Roman ruins IS unpleasant business.

But it can usually be relieved by drinking more water, exercising, and including more fiber in the diet.

[Diclotican]

37. Frank Cannon

Frank Cannon

Ah - my wonderfully manhandling of the english language strikes again i suspect , My apology for the little, but important manhandling of the english language - it was not the purpose of it

Yeah - I think if you drink more water - at least a liter every day - exercising - and eat more fiber will sort most of it out

Diclotican

[Frank Cannon]

39. Sorry. I couldn't resist.

[Diclotican]

40. Frank Cannon

Frank Cannon

Don't worry, I understood the purpose of it

Diclotican

[Martak Sarno]

30. "Eye for an Eye?"

Instead of a jail sentence or suspended one and fine, imagine if the punishment were to have the initials of the artifact (RC?) carved or tattooed into or onto the foreheads of the perps? Then throughout their humiliated lives they could explain to others who asked why the marks were there.

Harsh? For life? Then make them wear a tattooed "badge of shame" prominently displayed on their faces until the offending graffiti is corrected...if ever. Might even be motivation for a book! Nah! Already been done.

Just a thought.

[Javaman]

31. morons. nt

[LibertyLover]

34. Berlin Wall

Before the reunification of Germany, I was on tour in Berlin and we were taken to a section of the Berlin Wall that had lots of graffiti on it from tourists and German citizens alike. We were allowed to write a message. If I recall, I believe I wrote a brief message in hieroglyphics - ankh, wadj, seneb - life, prosperity and health. But the difference was that this was a spot where such activity was permitted by the authorities and wasn't defacing 2000 year old historic sites.

[sinkingfeeling]

36. Hope they get a couple of years in an Italian prison.

[closeupready]

41. Great job your parents did.