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Italian Outlet ANSA A 37-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was reported to have used a blunt object to carve five carvings into the walls of a house in Westeros, including his and his daughters’ initials, as well as a date.
Photos of the damage Share online The initials “JW LMW MW” were inscribed on the ancient structure alongside “07/08/24” and “MYLAW.”
Officials notified local authorities, who intervened and reported the incident to the Torre Annuzziata court as “damage to artistic heritage”.
The man has apologised and said he created the sculpture to commemorate a family trip. He could face heavy fines and even prison time.
According to Reuters, in January Italian authorities approved tougher penalties for those who destroy cultural heritage and monuments in a move to tackle “eco-vandals” – environmental activists who target famous works of art and monuments in public spaces to draw attention to their activities.
In future, fines of between 20,000 and 60,000 euros may be imposed, as well as prison sentences of between six months and five years.
Representatives for Pompeii Archaeological Park did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
This is not the first time Pompeii has suffered bad tourist behavior. Defaced In June this year, an Australian tourist visited one of the houses in Pompeii. Apologized After riding a moped around Pompeii in 2022.
Such actions have spread across Italy since the travel industry recovered after the coronavirus pandemic.
A British tourist inscribed his name on the Colosseum in 2023. In Florence, a German tourist climbed a 16th-century fountain to take a selfie, causing it to break in 2023.
Italy’s tourism minister criticized irresponsible tourists in a statement to CBS in August 2023.
“These tourists are also vandals because they do not respect the cultural heritage of not only Italy but the whole world. We have introduced a bill with a very simple concept: if you destroy, you pay,” she said.
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