Anger in Italy as famous prehistoric rock defaced with anti-tourism slogan
‘Tourists go home’ was penned next to fossilised dinosaur footprints in the Dolomites
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A prehistoric rock on a popular peak in the Dolomites has been defaced with an anti-tourist message.
The grafitti reading ‘tourists go home’, was discovered next to the Eubrontes fossilised dinosaur footprints in the Tre Cime Lavaredo mountain range – a Unesco World Heritage site in Italy.
Paralympic Nordic skier Moreno Pesce shared a video of the etchings on Facebook captioned: “Loving the mountains and sharing a passion is not this...Good life but above all good and healthy mountains...different from this one.”
Pesce discovered the message penned in permanent marker while climbing in the northern Italian peaks, and said in the footage that “it was not a nice awakening for the Tre Cime”.
The unwelcoming message was located along the busy trail between the Auronzo and Lavaredo mountains. It was next dinosaur footprints, discovered in 1992, which are estimated to be between 200 and 250 million years old.
One local commented: “The biggest bitterness is that above all the locals are encouraging the arrival of the imperfect tourist. Mountaineers promoting everything to attract people of all kinds to make easy money. Total disappointment. The mountain betrayed by its own inhabitants...”
It’s not the first time graffiti on a historic site has caused a stir in Italy.
In August, a 37-year-old British tourist faced a hefty fine from the Italian authorities after carving his family’s initials onto a wall in Pompeii.
The unnamed man was caught by staff leaving his mark on the House of the Vestals – a Unesco World Heritage Site – and reported to the public prosecutor’s office in Torre Annunziata.
Photographs show the initials ‘JW’, ‘LMW’ and ‘MW’, believed to correspond with his daughters’ names, scratched next to the date (7 August 2024) and the word ‘Mylaw’.
Earlier this month, Italy proposed increasing its tourist tax to €25 a night for holidaymakers staying in its most expensive hotel rooms.
The Italian government is considering the €25 (£21) tax – currently between €1 and €5 per night in cities such as Venice – to make tourists “more responsible” and help financially disadvantaged areas fund services like refuse collections.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments