Herculaneum, Dutch tourist defaces wall of ancient house

by Redazione , published on 03/06/2024
Categories: News / Disclaimer
Identified and charged a 27-year-old Dutch tourist in Herculaneum who defaced an ancient house by affixing his tag, or signature, over a wall.

Herculaneum, the historic city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., has been the scene of an act of vandalism that has sparked strong outrage. A 27-year-old Dutch tourist placed his own “tag,” a signature, on one of the ancient walls of a Roman house, damaging a heritage site of great historical value. To leave his signature, the tourist used a black indelible marker. The signature was discovered yesterday evening, after some visitors reported it to security personnel, who immediately contacted the Carabinieri.

The Dutch tourist, in short, thought he was leaving a mark of his passage by etching his name on a wall of one of Herculaneum’s ancient dwellings, scarring it. However, the person responsible was identified (he was spending a vacation in Campania) and immediately reported for damaging and defacing artistic works.

“Once again,” commented Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, “our cultural assets are victims of incivility and idiocy. Only a few weeks ago, the facade of the Royal Palace of the Royal Palace of Caserta was daubed with paint. Yesterday it was the turn of a Roman domus in the Herculaneum Archaeological Park, scarred by a tourist with a permanent marker. Any damage is a wound to our heritage, our beauty and our identity, and that is why it must be sanctioned with the utmost firmness. I thank the Carabinieri for immediately identifying and reporting the perpetrator of this cowardly act. I would also like to remind you that thanks to the law that I strongly wanted this person will also have to pay out of his own pocket for the work of restoring the work.”

Herculaneum, Dutch tourist defaces wall of ancient house
Herculaneum, Dutch tourist defaces wall of ancient house


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