ANCIENT STRUCTURE DEFACED WITH ANCIENT COIN

Instead of purchasing a token souvenir or snapping a picture, one tourist to Rome's Colosseum decided to leave her own mark on the ancient Roman monument.

Italian authorities arrested a French woman earlier this week after she reportedly used an ancient coin to carve her name into a column near the entrance of the popular tourist destination, The Local reported. Police confiscated the coin and took her into custody after she had successfully scrawled "Sabrina 2017" onto the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater.

The tourist faces charges of "aggravated damage to a building of historical and artistic interest," according to the report.

The Colosseum was used a site of entertainment for the local Roman people, who would gather to watch fearsome gladiators take on animals and each other in showdowns that began following the building's completion in 80 A.D. The location is one of Europe's most popular tourist venues, and it sees some 6.9 million visitors per year.

This most recent example of vandalism is not an isolated incident. Following the completion of a nearly three-year-long renovation, two Brazilian men attempted to break into the Colosseum at night in January, falling nearly 13 feet, with one man breaking his hip.

To read the complete article, see:
A Tourist Carved Her Name Into the Colosseum With an Ancient Coin (www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/offbeat/tourist-name-coliseum-rome-ancient)

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