Making waves on electric hydrofoils down Venice’s historic canals, stealing from the volcanic remains of Pompeii, and tourists stripping and posing for photos in the Trevi Fountain. And now if Italians weren’t already infuriated enough with tourists: couples carving their names into the wall of Rome’s ancient Colosseum.
There has been a long history of tourists behaving badly while on holiday visiting the historic and beautiful destinations of Italy.
And with tourism now back to pre-pandemic levels, the havoc appears to be in full flow again with even more chance for tourists to cause chaos around the ancient landmarks.
Whether it’s defacing and desecrating ancient relics, or causing a public nuisance, many have even faced fines for their antics and have faced the wrath of the Italian authorities.
After the identity of the culprit who was caught carving ‘Ivan + Hayley’ into the Colosseum’s wall was revealed, MailOnline looks back at some of the tourists who were caught vandalising and disrespecting Italy’s treasured sites.
A bystander filmed Mr Dimitrov, a fitness instructor from Bristol, as he carved the names into the stone walls of the 1,937-year-old building using a set of keys, June 23
The video of Ivan was shared on Reddit with the caption: ‘A******e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome’
Speeding down Venice’s Grand Canal on electric hydrofoils
Perhaps one of the most dangerous instances of tourists disrespecting Italy’s treasured sites saw two Australians whizzing along Venice’s Grand Canal on £20,000 electric hydrofoils.
The two men were filmed making waves through the main thoroughfare of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in August last year, infuriating both tourists and locals alike.
One of the hooligans on the hydrofoils – a kind of foil board often fitted with electric-powered propellers – was seen on his phone as he chopped through the canal waters.
A pair of ‘overbearing imbeciles’ have sparked fury in Venice by speeding down the city’s famous Grand Canal on £20,000 electric hydrofoils
The duo zoomed past the city’s famous monuments lining the canal as shocked locals watched on
Even Venice’s mayor took aim at the pair of Australians, calling for them to be punished and offering a free dinner to anyone who could help identify them.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said: ‘Here are two overbearing imbeciles who make a mockery of the City.
‘I ask everyone to help us identify them to punish them even if our weapons are really blunt… the Mayors urgently need more powers in terms of public safety!
‘To whoever identifies them, I offer a dinner!’
It didn’t take long for the two to be tracked down. The mayor announced their boards had been confiscated and the men were reprimanded for endangering the safety of navigation along the canal.
Local reports claimed they were also fined €3,000 for their antics and were expelled from the city.
Surfing, paddle boarding and canoeing are all banned on the iconic Grand Canal, which instead offers its tourists much calmer gondola rides as well as tourists boats and water taxis.
Plunging from 30ft into Venice’s canals
One tourist also caught the fury of Venice’s mayor in March after he belly-flopped 30ft into the city’s iconic canals.
The tourist was dubbed a ‘cretin’ who should be ‘kicked up the backside’ after the video was filmed and put on social media.
In only his boxer shorts, the man plunged down from the ledge of a palazzo and smacked into the water below.
Locals screamed in Italian begging him not to jump into the canal, but the man ignored their concerns.
The man appeared to be undisturbed by the relatively brutal belly flop, calmly emerging from the water soon after.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, slammed the man’s behaviour: ‘We should give a certificate of stupidity and a good number of kicks up the backside to this individual.
‘We are trying to identify and charge him, along with his friend who took a video of the cretin for social media.
‘These people are risking their necks just for a few likes.
‘They have no regard for the danger they pose… imagine if a boat had passed beneath.’
Local media reported that the man was lucky not the be seriously injured as the canals had been drained in recent weeks.
Colosseum vandals
The now notorious Ivan Dimitrov of ‘Ivan + Hayley’ fame isn’t the only one to have been caught red-handed making a mark on Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum.
In January 2017, the Colosseum was vandalised with black spray paint.
The name ‘Balto’ and the word ‘Morte’ (death) were sprayed onto the pillar overnight.
Francesco Prosperetti, special superintendent for the Colosseum, said: ‘We worry that this could become a game and people could start competing over it.’
A similar incident happened in 2014 when a Russian tourist was fined a staggering €20,000 (£1,700) for engraving a giant letter ‘K’ onto the historic wall.
The unnamed tourist, then aged 42, was caught by a guard as he used a sharp-edged stone to carve the 10-inch-tall letter.
The Russian man was given a fine and a suspended four-month prison sentence, reported news agency ANSA at the time.
The head of the administration of the Colosseum, Mariarosaria Barbera, said the man had ’caused significant damage’ and had ‘ruined the covering part of the amphitheatre’.
An Irish tourist even got himself arrested in 2020 for defacing the Colosseum with his initials after carving his initials into its walls.
The then-32-year-old man was caught by the Colosseum’s private security and immediately reported to police officers.
In January 2017, the Colosseum was vandalised with black spray paint
The man’s two initials, about 6 centimeters (2 inches) high, were said to have been carved with a metal point on a pillar of the first floor.
Archaeologist Federica Rinaldi, responsible for the ancient Roman amphitheater, said people who carve their initials into the monument want to ‘appropriate’ it.
He added: ‘The Colosseum, like any monument that represents the history of all of us, must be preserved and handed over to future generations.’
Tourists caught swimming in Venice’s Grand Canal
If the coronavirus pandemic had at least given the Venetian locals some respite from tourists for a year or two, the holiday-makers returned with a splash as soon as they were allowed to return.
On the day tourists were welcomed back after lockdown in June 2020, two German men were fined £400 each for taking a dip in the Grand Canal. Both were filmed splashing their way through the water and swimming under the Rialto Bridge.
Other than the water being rather dirty and unpleasant, swimming in it is also illegal.
Two German tourists were filmed taking a dip in the Grand Canal in Venice yesterday
Augusto Maurandi captured the men swimming in the canal and shared the video on social media
Both of the men got out the canal and waved at the cameraman before being fined £400 each when they were caught by army officers
Augusto Maurandi, who captured the moment and shared the video on social media, passes by the two men while on his boat.
Augusto says hello to the first man, with the second bobbing up and down just behind. They both climb a set of steps to get out of the water and wave back.
Local reports said the two men were caught barefoot in their swimming shorts by officers monitoring the city and were abruptly told to get dressed. The tourists were also fined for their stunt.
One angry social media user responded to the video: ‘Shame on you! Venice is not Disneyland! Respect others the way you want to be respected.’
Tourists strip down to their bikinis to frolic in Rome’s fountains
Back in 2016, three bikini-clad tourists caused a stir when they stripped off to cool down in a 400-year-old fountain to escape the summer heat.
The scantily-clad women caused uproar on social media after they enjoyed a summer splash in the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola in Rome, with locals on social media furiously brandishing them as ‘rude’.
In the pictures taken by a witness, the girls, who all have brown hair and appear to be in their twenties, were seen frolicking under one of the fountain’s jets and laughing as they cool off.
Romans said at the time that their antics showed a lack of respect for the 17th-century monument after they were snapped in the act.
The tourists left Romans furious when they decided to take a dip in the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola
Locals were less than impressed with the girls’ summer splash about and called the act disrespectful on social media
And while pondering on their nationality, locals decided that only the English or Germans would behave in such a ‘rude’ manner.
Online magazine Trastevere vented its outrage about the act on Twitter at the time, posting: ‘It is very hot but the fountain of the Janiculum can not become a pool x tourists Rome deserves more respect!’
Another tweet said: ‘You should go and do something similar in England or Germany. I’m going to tomorrow in my boxer shorts and swimming cap.’
The women were not arrested or reprimanded despite the outrage.
Skinny dipping in the Trevi Fountain
A couple of British tourists also had a similar idea, but this time to get their kit off and jump in Rome’s Trevi fountain.
One of the men removed his underwear and they both frolicked about in the water and posed for photos under the fountain in August 2018.
The man also pushed his genitals between his legs to pose naked for photos, while onlookers filmed, some finding the antics amusing and others instead shocked and bemused.
But others also found the desecration of a monument to those killed in war disrespectful. The fountain was originally built in honour of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.
Two British tourists stripped and posed for photos in a fountain next to one of Rome’s most famous monuments
One of the men can be seen removing his underwear as they frolicked in the water near Altare della Patria in the Italian capital
Police said the tourists’ behaviour was unacceptable and that it ‘seriously offended the national feeling and the memory of the fallen to whom the monument is dedicated.’
It is not known if police ever tracked the men down, but they were set to face fines of €400.
It also angered Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, then-minster of the interior: ‘I would know how to ‘educate’ these idiots if they get caught, Italy is not their bathroom!’
The two tourist’s frolicking was considered so egregious by officials that it helped enforce a 24/7 guard around a number of monuments – including the iconic Trevi Fountain – until the end of the 2018 summer.
Vice Mayor Luca Bergamo told local media at the time: ‘I can confirm for our citizens that local police have already taken 24-hour control of numerous famous sites.’
He added: ‘This offended every one of us including our country and the dead who are honoured by the monument.
‘We were faced with behaviour that demonstrated stupidity and ignorance as well as a lack of respect for the history of Rome and Italy.’
Driving down Rome’s 18th-century Spanish steps
In June last year, an American tourist caused upwards of €25,000 (£22,500) worth of damage after hurling an e-scooter down Rome’s historic Spanish Steps.
The incident was filmed by a passerby, with the footage subsequently going viral after being published by several Italian news sites.
The footage shows the unidentified woman, who Italian authorities said was a US tourist aged 28, hurling the rented e-scooter down the steps in a fit of apparent frustration.
Cops eventually caught up with the 28-year-old, as well as an also unidentified male companion – also an American – who is seen in the footage recklessly wheeling his own scooter down the storied stairs that featured in the Audrey Hepburn-led 1953 classic Roman Holiday.
Surveillance footage showed the unidentified woman and a male friend descending the Spanish Steps in Rome with their rental scooters
The woman caused the damage after hurling an e-scooter down the historic marble stairwell, causing several steps to crack
The woman and her male companion were fined by police after footage showed her deciding to launch the rented vehicle down the 18th century Unesco World Heritage Site
The pair were reportedly then fined €400 (£350) by police who viewed further security footage of the incident, which saw the woman inexplicably launch the rented vehicle down the steps.
Due to the woman intentionally pushing her scooter down the stairs, a more formal complaint was filed against her for damaging the sacred stairwell – an offense punishable by up to one year in jail and a hefty fine.
The Spanish Steps serve as one of the most guarded tourist sites in the Italian capital, with police prohibiting people from sitting on them back in 2018.
Authorities said the scooter cracked the monument’s 16th and 29th steps, while also chipping other sections of the storied staircase.
Stealing ancient Roman artefacts from Pompeii
While some tourists have been reprimanded for their unacceptable behaviour around Italy’s monuments, others have plainly stolen.
In 2018, a French tourist was fined €200 (£170) and handed a suspended sentence after he was caught red-handed leading Pompeii with ancient Roman artefacts stuffed in his backpack.
Pierre Luc Giglio, then aged 52, was caught by security guards when they saw him acting suspiciously.
They then found 13 fragments of terracotta and a piece of marble that was believed to be taken from the site’s House of Loreius Tiburtinus.
He told officers that they just ‘wanted to take home a souvenir’, local news site Metropolis reported, and that the antics were down to ‘bravado’.
A total of 13 fragments of terracotta and a piece of marble that was believed to be taken from the site’s House of Loreius Tiburtinus were found in his backpack
A French tourist was fined €200 (£170) and handed a suspended sentence after he was caught red-handed leading Pompeii with ancient Roman artefacts (pictured) stuffed in his backpack
In 2019, a British tourist was also arrested after she allegedly cut tiles from a mosaic in Pompeii and trying to take them as a souvenir.
The unnamed 20-year-old woman – who was on holiday with her father and sister – was caught stealing three tiles from the House Of The Anchor by a caretaker after she climbed over a rail around the mosaic, according to police.
The caretaker alerted Italian police who arrested the woman before she could leave the site of the 79AD Mount Vesuvius eruption with the fragments.
It was estimated that she had caused thousands of euros worth of damage to the UNESCO world heritage site.
One woman who stole artefacts from Pompeii in 2005 eventually regretted her actions after she returned to the city 15 years later claiming it had given her 15 years of bad luck.
The woman, known only as Nicole, 36, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, a piece of ceramics and parts of an amphora to a travel agent in the southern Italian city.
In 2019, a British tourist was arrested after she allegedly cut tiles from a mosaic in Pompeii, similar to one seen here at the the archeological excavation site
One of the women was arrested before she could leave the site of the 79AD Mount Vesuvius eruption
She also wrote a letter of confession in which she detailed her theft and her subsequent run of misfortune, including two cases of breast cancer and financial hardship.
She said she took the artefacts because she wanted to own a piece of history that no one else had, but they had ‘so much negative energy… linked to that land of destruction’.
Nicole added that she had learned her lesson asked for forgiveness from God.
She said: ‘I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice. The last time ending in a double mastectomy.
‘My family and I also had financial problems. We’re good people and I don’t want to pass this curse on to my family or children.’
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