Anger has stirred in Italy after a famous prehistoric rock was defaced with an anti-tourism slogan. The graffiti, which read ‘Tourists go home’, was discovered near fossilized dinosaur footprints in the Dolomites mountain range, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site in Italy.
The defacement was found on a rock in the Tre Cime Lavaredo mountain range by Paralympic Nordic skier Moreno Pesce. He shared a video showcasing the markings on Facebook with a caption expressing his disappointment, stating, “Loving the mountains and sharing a passion is not this… Good life but above all good and healthy mountains… different from this one.”
Pesce stumbled upon the message written in permanent marker while climbing in the northern Italian peaks and expressed his dismay in the footage, highlighting that it was not a pleasant discovery for the Tre Cime area. The unwelcoming slogan was positioned along a popular trail between the Auronzo and Lavaredo mountains, adjacent to dinosaur footprints dating back to between 200 and 250 million years.
A local resident shared their perspective, stating, “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…”
This incident is not the first time that graffiti on a historic site has caused controversy in Italy. In a separate occurrence, a 37-year-old British tourist received a substantial fine from Italian authorities for engraving his family’s initials onto a wall in Pompeii during his visit. The initials ‘JW’, ‘LMW’, and ‘MW’ alongside the date (7 August 2024) and the word ‘Mylaw’ were carved next to the House of the Vestals, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Recently, Italy proposed a rise in its tourist tax to €25 per night for visitors staying in the most expensive hotel rooms. This potential tax increase, currently ranging from €1 to €5 per night in cities like Venice, aims to make tourists more accountable and support financially disadvantaged areas by funding services such as refuse collections.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges posed by overtourism and the complexities of balancing economic benefits with preserving cultural and natural heritage sites. For more travel news and expert advice, listeners can tune in to Simon Calder’s podcast for insightful updates and analysis.