Why read this article? A tourist smears the domus aurea with an indelible marker. In the US he would already be in prison. Buonajuto, mayor of Ercolano: “He won’t get away with it, there is a criminal trial and it is right that he pays”.
Scar on the wall of a Roman domus in the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum. A 27-year-old Dutch tourist was identified by the police as the perpetrator of the vandalism. On holiday in Campania, the tourist decided to “to tag” – a term used in writing which consists of signing the walls – the ancient stuccos of a house torn from the ashes of Vesuvius. All this with a black marker and permanent markers.
The sentences against the Herculaneum graffiti artist
Similar gestures, in addition to being condemned in the world of graffiti because they are considered “unethical”, certainly do not go unnoticed by justice. The young man will now have to answer for damaging and defacing artistic works. Shortly after the news spread, the comment from the Minister of Culture arrived Gennaro Sangiuliano: «Just a few weeks ago, the facade of the Royal Palace of the Royal Palace of Caserta had been smeared with paint. Now it’s the turn of a Roman domus in the Herculaneum archaeological park, defaced by a tourist with a permanent marker. Every damage is a wound to our heritage, our beauty and our identity and this is why it must be sanctioned with the utmost firmness».
«I thank the police for having immediately identified and reported the author of this vile gesture – continued the minister – I also remember that thanks to the law I strongly supported, this person will also have to pay out of his own pocket for the restoration work of the Opera”. Ciro Buonajuto, mayor of Ercolanofor his part interviewed by guarantees: “There will be a conviction with a request for compensation. Prison like in the USA? No, but it is right to seize accounts to get what you owe“.
Buonajuto, will the tourist pay for the damages? How do these cases work?
A complaint has been filed and therefore the foreign tourist will have to be subjected to a criminal trial. There will probably be a conviction if the cameras caught him while he was painting the wall. Furthermore, a request for compensation for damages is also foreseen for the Archaeological Park which will be a civil party, having received the damage directly.
There is the fear that everything will end in nothing. And who the author of this damage, as a tourist, can get away with it. Is that so?
I don’t think everything can be resolved with tarallucci and wine, because even being a tourist and even being a foreigner, the criminal trial will still be celebrated in Italy and will be completed. Obviously, I hope, with a conviction.
There are those who regret not being in the United States, where for such events those responsible find themselves detained until they appear before the judge, unless they pay heavy fines on the nail…
We are a system far from the USA. In some ways it’s good, in some ways it’s bad. Luckily we are far away because preventive detention is not always a correct measure. It is not even fair that if an individual has the money to compensate for the damage he leaves prison, and if he doesn’t he remains inside: prison in Italy has a re-educational purpose and not just a punitive one. Therefore, I say that the US system should be taken as an example in certain ways, but it is right to stay away from many others. In Italy, however, we must increase the state’s ability to recover debts. In this case the tourist must pay, and if he does not pay it is right that his property, salary or bank account be seized. But it must happen at certain times. However, I don’t think it’s right to send him to jail until he pays up.
Since Herculaneum is a highly touristic area, have there been similar episodes in the past? Can you tell us about them?
It happened in the past that they stole stones from the excavations. In all these circumstances there has always been a criminal complaint against the tourists and the trial has begun. In the case of the stone there was no compensation procedure because it was returned. In the case of the soiling, however, since it was the Archaeological Park, the ministry took action as a civil party to request compensation.
