Traffic in front of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on Monday, June 12, 2023.
Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned "so that he understands the gravity of the gesture." Calling for respect for Italy’s, she vowed: "We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way." "And as you see in the video, I kind of approach him and ask him, dumbfounded at this point, ‘Are you serious? Are you really serious?’" Litz recalled. "And all he could do is like smile at me."
He said he decided to post the video online the following morning, after he had calmed down. While saying he appreciates graffiti and art, "carving your name seems like a pretty selfish act." He said visitors to foreign countries cannot repay their hosts "with blatant disrespect like this.""We have to preserve what we have," said Diego Cruz, an American student. "There is a rich history here. It helps us learn from the past.