German student carves initials on Colosseum in Rome.

A 14-year-old schoolboy from Germany has become the latest tourist to be caught vandalising the Colosseum.

The student, who was on a school tour in Rome, decided to carve his initials - "BS" - into an interior wall of the ancient amphitheatre.

However the incident was noted by security staff who immediately called the carabinieri. The student now faces charges for aggravated damage of a building of historical and cultural interest.

It is the latest in a string of incidents involving tourists carving their names into the Colosseum's walls.

Some of the more high-profile cases this year included a 39-year-old Israeli woman who used a stone to carve the intials of her husband and children in April, and a 29-year-old Hungarian man who left behind a large letter "T" in May.

Photo Corriere della Sera