Local media outlets reported that an American tourist was impaled after he scaled a fence around the Colosseum in Rome. A 47-year-old American citizen who lives in Taiwan reportedly tried to scale a metal fence in the Piazza del Colosseo, which is outside the historic amphitheater, on Friday night, May 2. Although it was unclear why the man scaled the pointed metal barrier, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero conjectured that he was attempting to approach the landmark. He lost control at one point, and his back was pierced by a metal spike.
Day According to Italia News, the man was “stuck in a painful and dramatic position” for more than 20 minutes before paramedics arrived and released him. According to reports, the man was screaming in front of a group of tourists, many of whom called emergency services, until he passed out, bleeding on the fence. The man’s lumbosacral region was punctured by the fence, according to Il Messaggero.
The tourist received 80 stitches at a nearby emergency room after paramedics stabilized him on the spot and administered sedatives. According to reports, the man was questioned about the incident over the weekend by the Italian national police, but no charges have been brought against him.
For comment, Hyperallergic has reached out to the Carabinieri, the Colosseum Archaeological Park, and the Italian national police in Rome. Although tourist antics have long occurred in Rome, very few, if any, of these incidents have been as harmful as the reported accident on Friday. Italian cultural authorities have had to deal with predicted spikes in tourism in recent years, and they have thought about charging admission and restricting access to popular tourist destinations like the Trevi Fountain, Venice, and Pompeii. Visitors to these locations have displayed strange behavior, such as writing names on the Colosseum and drinking directly from the Trevi Fountain.
