Tourist who carved names into Italy's Colosseum identified

@rytz5873/YouTube

A man filmed carving his and his fiancée’s name into the walls of Italy’s historic Colosseum has finally been identified.

The instance of vandalism made rounds on the internet after the Italian minister of culture, Gennaro Sanguiliano, tweeted about it on June 26. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the words “Ivan+Hayley 23” were carved into the wall using keys.

“I consider it very serious, unworthy, and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his fiancée,” wrote Sanguiliano, not mincing his words. “I hope whoever did this will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws.”

Reputo gravissimo, indegno e segno di grande inciviltà, che un turista sfregi uno dei luoghi più celebri al mondo, il Colosseo, per incidere il nome della sua fidanzata. Spero che chi ha compiuto questo gesto venga individuato e sanzionato secondo le nostre leggi. pic.twitter.com/p8Jss1GWuY

— Gennaro Sangiuliano (@g_sangiuliano) June 26, 2023

The same minister has now shared that the Italian law enforcement agency, the Carabinieri, has identified the man.

On Thursday, Sanguiliano said the tourist had committed “an act that has offended all those throughout the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments, and history.”

1/2 Grato all’Arma dei @_Carabinieri_ per aver prontamente individuato il presunto responsabile del gesto incivile quanto assurdo commesso al #Colosseo. Un atto che ha offeso tutti coloro che nel mondo intero apprezzano il valore dell’archeologia, dei monumenti e della storia. pic.twitter.com/k2apyx026A

— Gennaro Sangiuliano (@g_sangiuliano) June 29, 2023

He thanked officials for “promptly identifying the alleged perpetrator of the uncivilized and absurd act” and said he hoped rigorous laws would apply to the case.

“If it comes to a trial, the Ministry of Culture will appear as a civil party,” he asserted.

While law enforcement authorities have not revealed a name, the UK tabloid MailOnline and several local Italian news outlets have identified the perpetrator as 27-year-old fitness instructor Ivan Dimitrov, based in Bristol, England.

Dimitrov looks exactly like the man in the video, and he also has a girlfriend named Hayley Bracey — the same name he engraved alongside his own on the Colosseum wall.

Since the revelation, Dimitrov’s Facebook business page has been flooded with angry reactions and comments.

“Shameful what you did! Utterly disgraceful,” wrote London resident Bec Nelson on one of Dimitrov’s posts.

“Hope you get the maximum sentence and fine,” Kathleen M. A. Hanvey wrote. “You deserve nothing less.”

ANSA reports the culprit could face a hefty fine of up to €15,000 (C$21,663) or even jail time.

Some feel this is an overreaction on Italy’s part, as the person was caught on film.

A Twitter user named Sarah Schifmann replied to Sanguiliano on Twitter, asking if such strict action was right.

“I have seen the Colosseum several times since I was 16, and names are carved everywhere,” she wrote.

ma è giusto? ho visto t colloseum diverse volte da quando avevo 16 anni e i nomi sono graffiati ovunque, quando ho 16 anni ho visto solo nomi italiani. sono stati tutti puniti. A proposito, è oltraggioso graffiarlo, non c’è dubbio!

— Sarah 🇳🇱 🇮🇱 🇺🇦 (@sarahschifmann) June 30, 2023

A quick look at photos of the Colosseum walls shows that it has been vandalized over and over in the exact same way.

CatwalkPhotos/Shutterstock

The above photo is from February 2019. Each brick is covered with carved-in words.

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