US Tourists Scratch Initials Into Colosseum
Two American tourists have been accused of carving their initials into Rome's Colosseum.
The women, from California, scratched the letters J and N with a coin in the 2,000-year-old stone of Rome's arena, local newspaper Il Messaggero reported.
Afterwards the pair, reported to be 21 and 25, took a selfie.
The women had broken away from their group to scratch the initials, wihch are each reported to be about 8cm (3in) long.
They were briefly held by Rome’s police and questioned.
Il Messaggero quoted the two as apologising and saying they did not think it was a big deal, but they might still face penalties over the vandalism.
Last November, a Russian tourist scratched a 25cm (10in) letter K inside the amphitheatre. He was convicted, given a suspended four-year jail sentence and ordered to pay €20,000 (£16,000).
