No peace for Italy's heritage landmarks.

A video has surfaced on social media showing two people, described in Italian news reports as tourists, illegally entering the Colosseum at night.

The footage, published by Instagram account Welcome to Favelas, shows a man and a woman scaling the high spiked fence and getting inside the ancient landmark.

It is not known when the incident took place and the identity of the couple also remains unknown.

In 2021 Rome police fined two young American tourists €800 for sneaking into the Colosseum at night after a passerby spotted them drinking beer while sitting on the second tier of the amphitheatre.

Earlier this summer there was a spate of vandalism at the Colosseum, including by a tourist who was filmed carving "Ivan & Hayley" into an interior wall at the ancient site.

The latest incident at the Colosseum follows debate over a proposal to restrict access to the Trevi Fountain to stop unruly tourists from clambering over the Baroque monument and jumping into its waters.

Vasari Corridor

It also coincides with outrage in Italy over the vandalisation of the Vasari Corridor in Florence in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police promptly identified the alleged culprits behind the graffiti on the 16th-century landmark: two German tourists on holiday in the Tuscan capital.

The incident prompted Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano to pledge a "zero tolerance" approach, stating: "Acts like this must not go unpunished. Now let justice take its course."

Iniziati i lavori di ripulitura del Corridoio Vasariano a #Firenze.
L'ammontare della spesa è di circa 10mila euro.
Per troppo tempo si è pensato che in Italia si potesse fare qualsiasi cosa. Tanto non succedeva nulla.
Tra poco colpiremo i vandali nel portafoglio. pic.twitter.com/Oy0iTX5sp1— Gennaro Sangiuliano (@g_sangiuliano) August 24, 2023

On Thursday Sangiuliano posted photographs on Twitter of workers assembling scaffolding beside the Vasari Corridor ahead of its cleaning which he stated would cost around €10,000.

He also said that for too long it has been perceived that people could do whatever they want in Italy without facing any consequences, before adding: "We'll be hitting the vandals' wallets shortly."

Sangiuliano on Wednesday said the Italian government is pushing ahead with its bill to make those who damage cultural landmarks pay for the work required to restore the monuments they deface.

The minister announced the move in April after climate activists poured black liquid into the waters of the 17th-century Barcaccia fountain at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome.