A number of widely publicised cases of tourists defacing ancient monuments in Italy has shed light on the continuing debate around the use of public space for people to mark their presence.
Perhaps the most high profile case recently was a UK visitor who scratched the names of himself and his girlfriend into the stones of the Colosseum in Rome. In a letter of apology he claimed that he didn’t know how old the structure was. Even though this case attracted global publicity, it doesn’t seem to have dissuaded fame-hungry visitors. A Dutch tourist recently added his tag in waterproof ink to a Roman wall at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, and was promptly arrested. As the Dutch press reported, the Italians are particularly protective of their tangible heritage, and hefty fines are usually doled out to offenders.
But in some places a more relaxed approach to tourist daubings can be observed. In North-East Brazil, for example, a statue of local icon Padre Cícero is painted an obliging white colour (even though the priest himself always wore black). This opportunity is gratefully grasped by the visitors who flock to the site. Having covered every inch of the accessible surfaces at the base of the statue, visitors have now had to resort to reaching the higher parts. This often requires the help of bystanders or family members to lift the painter, as this photo demonstrates. Such activity passes without comments from other visitors, and there are no security guards in sight. Clearly, what is seen as a crime in one part of the world is seen as a fitting homage in others.
Perhaps more creative means of leaving your mark could also be promoted as a means of avoiding indelible graffiti and engaging visitors with local heritage. Among the possibilities already in use elsewhere are yarn bombing and reverse graffiti. Perhaps these might emerge as new forms of creative tourism in future?
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