Italian cops catch British woman, 20, scribbling name on to Florence’s ancient Ponte Vecchio bridge
A British woman was caught writing her name on a 678-year-old Italian bridge and was forced to wash it off, police said.
The 20-year-old tourist was caught scribbling her initials in pen on the Ponte Vecchio on Tuesday morning in Florence, Italy, before being forced to wash it off and fined £140.
It comes after a Bulgarian gym teacher from Bristol was filmed last month carving his initials at Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum.
The Ponte Vecchio is a 30-meter-high monument that crosses the River Arno, with a famously narrow and paved walkway lined with shops.
The original bridge was built in 996 and completed in 1345, but has since been swept away by floods and rebuilt several times.
The 20-year-old tourist was caught scribbling her initials on the Ponte Vecchio (pictured) on Tuesday morning in Florence, Italy, before being forced to wash it off and fined £137.
And in January, an American tourist was fined £430 after attempting to cross the same famous Italian bridge in a rented Fiat Panda.
The California man, who was not identified, was reportedly looking for a parking space.
In June, shameless Ivan Dimitrov, 27, was caught in the act of scratching his name and that of his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33, into a wall at the famous tourist site.
The pair were on the first leg of a three-week European vacation while their home was being renovated, and he was filmed by an irate American tourist who posted footage online that went viral.
In what officials have described as a “surreal” letter to Rome’s mayor, police and authorities at the Colosseum, Dimitrov has now apologized for what he did, revealing his ignorance in the process.
He wrote: ‘Aware of the seriousness of the act committed, with these lines I would like to offer my sincere and sincere apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage done to a property that is, in fact, the heritage. of all mankind.
Ivan Dimitrov (pictured), 27, said he only learned of the Colosseum’s “antiquity” after being caught in the act of carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the monument’s wall
Gym instructor Ivan Dimitrov, 27, and his girlfriend Hayley Bracey, 33
‘I admit with deep shame that I only learned of the age of the monument after what happened unfortunately.
“The council guards with devotion, care and sacrifice the inestimable historical and artistic value of the Colosseum.”
A passerby filmed the tourist carving names into the stone walls of the 1937-year-old building with a set of keys.
On June 23, Dimitrov can be seen scratching “Ivan + Hayley 23” into one of the stones.
The video was shared on Reddit with the caption, “A ****** tourist makes name at the Colosseum in Rome.”
In the video, the English-speaking man filming the footage says, “Are you serious, man? That’s f***ed up, man. Stupid jerk.’
Reddit users called on the poster to send the video to the police so that the vandal could be arrested.
In a statement at the time, Italy’s Culture Minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said: “I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great discourtesy that a tourist should use one of the most famous places in the world, a historical heritage such as the Colosseum, to name of his fiancee.
“I hope that whoever made this gesture in the Flavian amphitheater will be identified and punished according to our laws.”
Rome vandal Ivan Dimitrov poses with his girlfriend Hayley Bracey in a gym
A freeze frame of footage of him desecrating the Colosseum. He risks a possible fine of up to 15,000 euros and could face two to five years in prison if the case goes to court