British tourist apologizes after carving initials into an ancient Pompeii home

10.08.2024 - 18:50 / insider.com

A British man defaced a home preserved in time at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii in Italy, where Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

Italian outlet ANSA reported that a 37-year-old man, who has not been named, used a blunt object to make five engravings on a wall of the House of Vestals. The engravings included his initials, his daughters' initials, and the date.

Photos of the damage shared online showed the initials "JW LMW MW" etched into the ancient structure alongside "07/08/24" and "MYLAW."

Staff alerted local authorities, who intervened and reported the incident to a court in Torre Annuziata as "damage to artistic heritage."

The man apologized and said he made the carvings to commemorate his family's trip. He could face a hefty fine and even prison time.

Italian officials approved larger penalties for people who damaged cultural sites and monuments this January to combat "eco-vandals," according to Reuters. Eco-vandals are environmental activists who target well-known artwork and monuments in public to draw attention to their cause.

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People can now be fined between 20,000 euros and 60,000 euros. They also face prison terms between six months to five years.

Representatives for the Archaeological Park of Pompeii did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

It's not the first time Pompeii has weathered bad behavior from tourists. A man from Kazakhstan defaced one of Pompeii's houses this June, and an Australian tourist apologized in 2022 after riding a moped around Pompeii.

Such behavior has spread across Italy since the travel industry rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, tourists from England carved their names onto the Colosseum. In Florence, a German tourist damaged a 16th-century fountain when he climbed it to take a selfie in 2023.

Italy's tourism minister criticized irresponsible tourists in a statement to CBS in August 2023.

"These tourists are also vandals, because they have no respect for our cultural heritage, which belongs not just to Italy, but to the whole world. We've introduced a bill with a very simple concept: You break it, you pay for it," she said.