The Letter 'N' Engraved on the Roman Colosseum... Parents Say "No Fault"

Rome Colosseum Again Suffering from Tourist Graffiti
Last Month, Controversy over British Tourists' 'Couple Graffiti'

The 2,000-year-old Colosseum, a historic site in Rome, the capital of Italy, has once again been damaged by tourists.

According to Fox News in the United States on the 16th (local time), a 17-year-old girl traveling in Italy carved the letter 'N' into the Colosseum wall on the 14th, prompting local police to launch an investigation.

In a video capturing the incident, a girl can be seen scratching the Colosseum wall to carve the letter 'N', and the people around her applauded. David Battaglino, a tour guide who filmed the video, told the local daily newspaper La Repubblica, "I pointed out to the girl, 'Do you want to be applauded?'" and added, "When the girl realized she was facing criticism from citizens who want to protect the historic site, she returned to her family."

Battaglino informed the girl's parents about what their daughter had done, but they responded that "(My daughter is) just a young girl and did nothing wrong." Eventually, the girl and her parents were taken into custody by local police and investigated.

A 17-year-old Swiss girl is graffitiing on the wall of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. [Image source=Twitter 'Agenzia ANSA']

This is not the first time that graffiti on the Colosseum walls has caused controversy. At the end of last month, a video was released showing a man carving his and his girlfriend's names into the Colosseum wall using a key, which sparked outrage among the Italian public.

As the video spread and the anger of the Italian people grew, even the Minister of Culture stepped in, vowing to find and punish the tourist who committed the vandalism. Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy's Minister of Culture, criticized, "This incident has offended everyone around the world who values archaeology, monuments, and history."

Minister Sangiuliano also mentioned that the man's act of property damage could result in a fine of at least 15,000 euros (approximately 21.5 million KRW) and up to five years in prison.

It was later revealed that the man was Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old fitness instructor residing in the United Kingdom. He sent an apology letter to Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, stating, "I have only now realized the seriousness of my actions." He added, "Regrettably, it was only after this incident that I learned how old the historic site (the Colosseum) is, and I am very ashamed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.