Tourist damages ancient site in quest for good photo

AN American tourist took his quest for the perfect holiday snap too far.

AN AMERICAN tourist has landed in hot water after damaging an ancient ruin while trying to take the perfect holiday photo.

The man was questioned by police after he moved some tiles on a mosaic in the ancient city of Pompeii while trying to take a photograph, Italy’s The Local reported.

He was taking photos at the ancient Roman building, the House of the Sailor, which was only opened to the public last year.

The man reportedly told police he accidentally moved the tiles in the building’s entrance while trying to take photos.

Police were satisfied the man didn’t disrupt the precious artefact deliberately or maliciously, The Local reported.

“The episode testifies to the fragility of our heritage, and to the constant protection of the site carries out by security and law enforcement officers daily,” representatives from Pompeii’s archaeological site said.

Authorities at the Pompeii tourist site has called on visitors to be more aware of the area’s cultural heritage following the man’s mistake. Picture: iStock

Restorers will now work on repairing the damage the man caused.

The House of the Sailor, a two-storey townhouse that dates back to the second century BC, was uncovered in 1871 and opened to the public in 2017 following extensive restoration work.

It was named after the lavish mosaic in the entrance that depicted a fleet of ships.

But it’s far from the only precious and very old attraction damaged by tourists.

In 2016, a tourist in Portugal was charged with destruction of private property after he climbed up next to a famous statue on the facade of a Lisbon railway station for a selfie, and knocked the statue to the ground.

The statue of former Portuguese king Dom Sebastiao was smashed into pieces. The man was arrested after trying to flee police after the incident.

The previous year, a 12-year-old boy visiting a museum in Taipei, Taiwan, triggered facepalms the world over when he tripped over a punched a hole in a $2 million painting.

Footage showed the child trip on his feet and stumble into the 350-year-old oil-on-canvas painting, Flowers, by Italian master painter Paolo Porpora, which required expensive restoration.

Also in 2015, a pair of tourists accidentally shattered a 315-year-old marble statue in the Italian city of Cremona.

The tourists were reportedly trying to snap a selfie with the Statue of the Two Hercules — considered a symbol of the city — when they knocked it to the ground.