Ancient Roman Beauty...No Security?

Rome is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Ancient history is everywhere...society as we know it started there. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, are just a few of the endless wonders that exist in Rome.

As I began to explore Rome further, I began to notice a disturbing trend...graffiti, or other forms of vandalism on the iconic landmarks in Rome. Even more upsetting was the realization that there was no security protecting a great number of them. Occasionally the Carabinieri (the Roman police force) would show up for a while, but there weren't any guards stationed near any of them. The result is a multitude of vandalism. I felt a mixture of sadness and confusion when I tried to think of a person's decision to engrave their name or profanity into the Colosseum. Believe it or not, the entire interior is filled with this kind of vandalism. Littering isn't uncommon to see strewn around the area of ancient landmarks either.

Now, some landmarks, like the Pantheon, and the Vittorio Emanuele Monument have Carabinieri patrolling inside and out, because they have a monument to a certain general, soldier, king, etc. at that location. But to my knowledge these are really the only exceptions, not counting the Vatican which has it's own security. And ironically enough, while the monument itself is well protected, the Italian government's decision to construct the Vittorio Emanuele monument (knowingly, it wasn't undiscovered or accidental) destroyed a large portion of the Capitoline Hill, including several historic buildings and an ancient convent.

Angered, saddened, and frustrated at all of this, I asked several Italians how they felt about it. All of them reflected my feelings towards the situation. When I asked why the government didn't feel protection of their invaluable ancient history, none of them knew.

Maybe it's the cost of such protection. Europe, Italy in particular, is being hit hard by the Euro financial crisis. But some might argue that investing in protection of the historical landmarks that bring innumerable tourist's to Rome and throughout all of Italy is well worth it.