A tourist has been arrested after breaking two ancient Roman busts in Vatican City on Wednesday.
The man, who was described as an American tourist in his 50s, reportedly flew into a rage after being told he could not personally meet the Pope. He proceeded to topple two 2000-year-old Romanbusts to the ground.
The incident happened inside the Chiaramonti Museum, which holds more than 1000 pieces of art, including some of the most important Roman portrait busts in the world.
After learning he could not meet the head of the Catholic Church, the man allegedly stormed off, grabbed an ancient Roman bust and dropped it to the ground.
A second bust was also damaged during the tantrum, said the director of the Press Office for Vatican Museums, Matteo Alessandrini.
The damage was minimal.
"The two busts have been damaged but not particularly badly. One lost part of a nose and an ear, the head of the other came off the pedestal," he told CNN.
Repairs for the busts will cost approximately €15,000 ($26,000) and take 300 hours according to Roman news company, Adnkronos.
After the outburst, the man was quickly caught by Vatican police and handed over to the Italian authorities.
He is expected to be charged with aggravated damage.
This is not the first time an unruly tourist has caused trouble in Rome, and unlikely the last. Especially as Covid lockdown measures ease and tourists flood back in pre-pandemic numbers.
For this reason, Vatican authorities are meeting next week to discuss increased security measures for 2023, reported Il Messaggero.
The Chiaramonti Museum is part of the Vatican Museums and is named after Pope Pius VII (Barnaba Chiaramonti), who founded it during the early nineteenth century. It joins the Vatican Palaces to the small Palace of the Belvedere and is lined with hundreds of sculptures.
