Who knew the Colosseum was so old? Tourist apologises for defacement

ITALY – A man seen on video in June

using his keys to etch his love for his girlfriend on a wall in the Colosseum

in Rome has written a letter of apology, saying he had no idea the nearly 2,000-year-old monument was so ancient.

“I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learnt of the monument’s antiquity,” the man – identified by his lawyer as 31-year-old Ivan Dimitrov – wrote in a letter dated July 4 and addressed to the Rome prosecutor’s office, the mayor of Rome and “the municipality of Rome”.

Portions of the letter were first published on Wednesday in the Rome daily newspaper Il Messaggero.

In it, Mr Dimitrov acknowledged the “seriousness of the deed” he committed and offered his “heartfelt and sincere apologies to Italians and the entire world for the damage done to a monument that is, in fact, heritage of all humanity”.

Mr Dimitrov offered to “sincerely and concretely” right his wrong and redeem himself.

The carving came to light in June after a fellow tourist in Rome filmed a man scratching “Ivan + Hayley 23/6/23” into a brick on a wall of the Colosseum.

The video went viral and “Ivan”, whose identity was then not known, was widely rebuked for his devil-may-care attitude.

The defaced brick was actually part of a wall built during a mid-19th century restoration of the monument, which was inaugurated in the first century AD.

But that made little difference to the Colosseum authorities, which said it did not change the fact that the act was vandalism.

Mr Dimitrov was eventually identified by Italian military police officers.

Major Roberto Martina, the police commander who oversaw the operation, said they tracked Mr Dimitrov to England.

Mr Alexandro Tirelli, Mr Dimitrov’s lawyer, said his client may get between two and five years in prison and a fine of up to €15,000 (S$22,000).

Mr Tirelli said he was hoping for a plea bargain that would allow his client to pay a fine but serve no jail time.

Mr Dimitrov’s apology, the lawyer said, was an attempt to make clear “that he had pulled what he thought was a harmless stunt”.

“I hope this apology will be accepted,” Mr Dimitrov wrote in the letter. NYTIMES