MEA CULPA

Colosseum Tourist Offers Stunning Explanation for Alleged Vandalism

The British visitor wrote a jaw-dropping letter of apology to the Mayor of Rome.

The British tourist who allegedly carved a message into the ancient walls of the Colosseum claims he hadn’t realized how old the building was before he acted. Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old fitness instructor, was filmed using a key to scratch his and his girlfriend’s name into the 2,000-year-old landmark last month. On Wednesday, a letter of apology written by Dimitrov to the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri was published by Italy’s Il Messaggero newspaper. “Through these lines I would like to address my heartfelt and honest apologies to the Italians and to the whole world for the damage caused to an asset which, in fact, is the heritage of all humanity,” he wrote, saying he didn’t realize “the seriousness of the deed committed” until later. “It is with deep embarrassment that only after what regrettably happened did I learn of the antiquity of the monument,” he added. He could now face a large fine and possible prison sentence for allegedly writing “Ivan + Hayley 23” into the building.